Tree Pup
by Tealya
Summary: Inuyasha has a child... with the holy tree? How exactly is this possible again?
1. Otoosama?

Hello hello. Let me introduce myself. I am Tealya and this is my first Inuyasha fan fiction. Currently, I have seen 90 episodes of the series so for the moment I may make references to things that happen in some of the later episodes. When I do, I promise I'll put a note at the bottom of when it was that the event being referred to happened. For those who don't know much Japanese, I will also have lists of Japanese terms I used at the bottom of the chapters where they are first used. ~~~~~ means a change in time and/or place but not day and ***** means a change in day. Well, I hope you enjoy the fic. Be sure to review. 

Oh, I don't own Inuyasha, any of its characters, or the world setting (terrible, I know). This particular story and the little cutie you'll get to meet later, however, are my own creation based on the work of Rumiko Takahashi. Now, on to the fic.  


_________________________________________________________  


"Kaede-sama! Kaede-sama!" 

The old miko sighed as she glanced up from her herbs. Two of the town's men were running in her direction with rather panic stricken faces. It was a look she had come to know all too well; youkai were headed in their direction. It had been a long time since they had been attacked by one. That meant they were long since over due for one. She had been hoping the peace would last... 

"Kaede-sama!" 

"What is it?" 

"At the holy tree! There's something... it's... uh..." the second man studdered. 

"It's what?" 

The two men exchanged nervous glances. "It's hard to explain. There's something inside the tree..." 

"Inside it?" 

"Yes, inside. The bark became clear and... and we saw... well, something inside it," the first man tried to clarify. 

The old woman gave them a questioning glance, wondering if they had gotten their hands on some sake. They didn't smell like it. 

"It's easier if you just come and see." 

Kaede nodded and followed them towards Inuyasha's forest. Something inside the holy tree? That didn't seem right at all. How could something be inside the holy tree. On it, around it, carving a hole in it, yes. But just plain inside? 

She gasped as they came into sight of the tree. It was just as they had said. The spot where Inuyasha had once been sealed had turned a strange clear amber, allowing anyone to see right inside the tree. Sure enough, nestled inside the clear spot was what appeared to be some sort of object. The two men hung back, but Kaede stepped forward. What was inside the holy tree? 

One wrinkled hand reached up and touched the tree. The surface had become warm, like a rock left out in the sun or a... Human? Her eye trailed up the trunk to come to rest on the clear spot. The object gave a slight movement. What was moving the object inside? No! Not object! Creature! It was alive! Kaede looked it over carefully with her good. Yes, now she could see it. It had long hair covering part of it's body, obscuring most of the upper half of it from view. That's what threw her off. It moved again, turning a little more towards her, showing the side of a chubby face, a shoulder, and a pair of curled up legs. There was definitely a very human shape to it. But how...? 

"Go get a blanket!" she yelled back at the two men. "And some warm water!" 

"What is it?" the first asked. 

"I'm not sure yet..."  


*****  


"What do you mean five days!?!" Inuyasha roared. 

Kagome gave him a hard stare. "Exactly what I said!" she snapped back. "I have to take a mid semester exam to make sure I'm learning the material in class. If I fail, I might have to repeat the grade again." 

The hanyou snorted. He shoved his hands in his sleeves and turned up his nose. "No," he stated definitely. 

"If I have to repeat the ninth grade, I wont have time to come back here to find the shikon shards," the girl hissed back. Inuyasha glared at her. "Then stay here and find them all! If your not there, they can't make you do anything." He turned up his nose again as the adolescent girl glared at him. 

Just a few steps behind the bickering pair (and a at relatively safe distance), Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara watched the scene. It was one that had become rather familiar every time they came back here. Inuyasha and Kagome would start arguing about her going home for some "test" or "homework" from this "school" thing she always seemed to go to. After several minutes of yelling back and forth, usually Kagome would subdue him with the word... 

"Sit!" 

...and Inuyasha's face would be reunited with the earth while he muttered a few choice words. It was always the same. 

Inuyasha yanked himself off the ground as the subduing spell wore off. His ears flipped back as he glared at the girl who had continued walking. He clenched his hands in fists and looked about ready to hit the girl until she was black and blue... 

"Otoo-sama!" 

The hanyou's ears flipped forward. "Otoo-sama," he repeated more to himself than anyone else. 

"Otoo-sama?" the others all repeated at once in confusion. 

"Inuyasha?" Kagome looked back at him slightly concerned. 

Inuyasha bristled slightly then snorted and continued walking. They obviously hadn't heard it. "Its nothing." 

Everyone else exchanged confused glances and then shrugged. 

"Otoo-sama!" This time everyone heard it. "Otoo-sama! Otoo-sama!" 

Inuyasha glared at the road ahead. It was getting closer. His golden eyes turned towards Miroku. The others followed his line of sight to the confused monk. For a moment, no one moved. Then, as if on cue, they all gave him that 'what have you done now?' stare. 

As the realization suddenly hit Miroku, he took a straightened posture and smiled innocently. It was always his first response when put in a situation like this... of course, he had to admit this was the first time someone was claiming he was their 'otoo' and not a woman he was flirting with. 

"It's coming this way," Inuyasha snorted as his lips turned up in a slight smirk. 

"Please, you can't possibly believe that it is mine. I am a monk of Buddha..." 

"And you always ask every girl you meet if she'll bear your child..." Sango stated with a grunt as she scowled at him. 

"And you wouldn't hesitate if any woman agreed..." Kagome added in the same tone. 

"Yes, but I don't have any children." That I know of, he added mentally as he tried to continue smiling innocently. 

Sango reached for Hiraikotsu reflexively. At that action, Shippo darted down from the monk's shoulder and behind Kagome. Experience had taught the little fox that when Sango reached for her large boomerang like that, Miroku was about to be hit. It was fun to watch, but he did not want to be in the way of the boomerang's path. 

"Otoo-sama!" 

Inuyasha smirked. This was going to be entertaining, if only for a minute of two. It wasn't enough to make him forget his angry at Kagome, but it was a nice temporary distraction. His ears twitched as he heard the sound of feet coming up the road. The hanyou turned the look back at the little whelp. 

No sooner then he had turned around, then something leaped in to his chest. He looked down to find a small child just a little bigger than Shippo latched on to him. It looked up, giving him the biggest grin he had ever seen. Long locks of silvery hair covered its head head and hung in its glittering azure eyes. A blue kimono that looked disturbingly similar to Inuyasha's own clothing accented the color of its eyes. Sewn on the left pant leg and right sleeve were cherry blossoms made with white thread. A pair of white triangle ears stuck out of the top of its head and twitched eagerly as it looked up at him expectantly. 

"Otoo-sama!" the child stated rather proudly.  


___________________________________________________________  


**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Sama_ = master or lord. It is used for someone that is higher ranking than one's self such as a samurai or a priestess. 

_Miko_ = priestess 

_Otoo_ = father. Normally, one would say otoo-san. I put sama on the end because the child... well... calls Inuyasha that. I'm not really sure why the child does this. I think it has something to do with him being really strong. 


	2. Get it off! Get it off!

Inuyasha froze as his mind went to a crashing halt. A small child with white hair and dog ears was clinging to the front of him. A small child with white hair and dog ears was calling him otoo-sama. A small child with white hair and dog ears that looked almost exactly like him was staring up at him with an elated grin on its face. This wasn't right. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. 

He took an instinctive step back only to realize that she was indeed attached to his haori. He hadn't fathered any children. He was certain he hadn't. It dug its feet in to his stomach and pushed itself a little higher up. Inuyasha cringed and tried to back away again. 

The child touched its nose to his and smiled even brighter with its eyes closed. "Otoo-sama!" proclaimed, yet again. 

"Well, I told you it wasn't mine," Miroku stated rather bluntly while the rather dumbfounded girls and youkai stared at the scene before them. 

Inuyasha blinked. Then he blinked again. "What the hell?" 

Blink. Blink. Kagome took a hesitant step forward. "Inuyasha...?" 

"It's not mine! I swear! I swear!" the hanyou cried out without once taking his eyes off the child. "Get off! Get off! Let go!" he snapped at the child, though he didn't touch it. Kagome came a little closer and gazed at the child. "Get it off!" he ordered. 

The child turned to look at the adolescent girl. Its eyes opened again and sparkled with curiosity. The child leaned leaned closer to Kagome and sniffed. A moment later, it giggled as its face looked like the perfect representation of innocence. 

"Kawaiiiiii!" Kagome exclaimed. 

Shippo hopped up on Kagome's shoulder and peered down at the child still clinging to Inuyasha. "Oi! You never said you had any kits!" 

"That's because I don't! It's not mine!" the hanyou barked. 

"He seems to think otherwise," Miroku said as he came over to look at the child as well. 

"I don't care what it thinks! It's not mine! I've never seen it before in my life! Someone get it off!" 

"But it does look a lot like you," Sango pointed out in confusion as she took came up. Kirara on her shoulder meowed in agreement. "Where did he came from?" 

"I don't care! Get it off!" 

Kagome raised a curious eyebrow. "Inuyasha... you're not afraid of him, are you?" 

"Of course not!" he growled. He reached down to grab the child but one look at its angelic face stopped him. "Get it off!" 

The adolescent girl rolled her eyes and reached out for the child. She snaked her arms around the child's waist and gave a slight pull. The child's grip tightened. Kagome pulled a little harder but the child would not release its hold. 

"Otoo-sama!" it cried out disparately. 

"I'm not you're otoo! Let go of me! Now!" 

"Otoo-sama! Otoo-sama!" 

"Are you sure it's not yours?" Shippo inquired as he reached down and gave the child a pat on the head. 

"Yes!" 

"But if he's not yours..." Miroku trailed off. 

"I don't know and I don't care! Just make it let go!" 

"Otoo-sama!" 

They heard a loud chuckling coming from the direction of the town and everyone glanced back to see Kaede walking up the path. "My my, Inuyasha, you seem to have your hands quite full there." 

"Shut up, baba! This is your doing! I know it!" 

The old miko walked right up to Inuyasha and the child and smiled. One wrinkled hand reached up to pat the child on the head. "Five days and this is the first thing you decide to say?" The child tilted its head to one side curiously. The old miko just smiled. "If you had been smart, you would have chosen your parentage more carefully, little one. Inuyasha isn't exactly the otoo type." 

The hanyou in question growled at the remark. "And what is that suppose to mean?" 

Kaede ignored him. She turned back towards the village and started walking. "Come back to my hut. I will explain there. And, Inuyasha, at least lift Yahna up so she doesn't fall. She may have a good grip but I don't know how long she can hold on. I'd rather not see her fall and get hurt." 

"She?" Miroku inquired. Kaede nodded. The monk glanced back at the child. It was dressed more like a boy than girl. 

Inuyasha glared at the child and growled. "Then it should just let go!" he barked, ignoring Miroku. 

"Then pull her off. She doesn't bite, claw, growl, or in any other way behave like you," the old miko retorted. "I doubt she'd harm you for making an attempt to remove her." 

"That's good to know," Shippo grunted, only to have Inuyasha shoot him a death glare. The fox kit squeaked and jumped out of arms reach. 

Inuyasha turned his attention back to the child, giving her the same look of death. The child, for her part, just grinned from ear to ear. He hesitated for a moment, then seized the child by the collar and gruffly yanked her off him. Kagome, who still had a hold on the child, caught her and held her close. 

A rather hurt expression covered the child's face. "Otoo-sama?" 

"Keh." Inuyasha turned away from her and followed Kaede. 

The child's eyes watered and her lower lip trembled. "Otoo-sama?" He ignored her. Then she suddenly started wriggling to get free. Kagome tried to hold her still but quickly gave up and set the child down. The child darted after him. "Otoo-sama! Otoo-sama!" 

Inuyasha cringed. He leaped up in the air before she could reach him and landed several feet ahead. "I'm not your otoo! Stop calling me that!" 

"I quite agree," Kaede stated calmly. She reached out a gentle and hand and the child took it, though her eyes were still focused on the hanyou ahead. "Picturing Inuyasha as anyone's otoo is disturbing enough. Adding sama to the end of that just makes it worse." 

"Keh," was Inuyasha's only response.

~~~~~

"Born from the holy tree?" Everyone questioned at once. 

Kaede nodded calmly. "Seven days ago, two of the men were out hunting and stopped by the tree. They saw her growing inside right where Inuyasha was sealed. Then they called me. Two days later, she came out." 

Everyone glanced down at the child that was attempting to nuzzle against the rather angry Inuyasha. He held her back with Tetsusaiga (still in its sheath, of course). She snugged against the scabbard happily. A low growl escaped him as he gave the child a menacing glare. If she heard him, she didn't act like it. The child continued to hold on to the scabbard affectionately. Watching her was enough to make Inuyasha sick. 

The old miko sighed and continued, "Until earlier, she hadn't said a word to anyone. She smiled, followed, and generally did as she was told. She's been quite helpful since she started walking. She helps gather herbs, fire wood, plays with a few of the small children and infants giving their mothers a few moments of peace..." 

"And where did it get that?" the hanyou demanded as he snagged one claw in the leg of the girl's hakama. He gave a sharp tug and yanked the child's feet out from under her. She plopped on the ground with a slight yip, but continued to smile and go after him undaunted. 

"The women made it for her. They patterned it after a miko's kimono since she was born from the holy tree." 

"Otoo-sama!" 

"No!" he shouted and jumped back. "Stay away! I'm not your otoo! How many times do I have to tell you that!?!" 

"Otoo-sama!" she cried joyfully and toddled after him. 

He leaped back behind Kaede. "If you're so good at dealing with it, deal with it!" 

"Oh, give up Inuyasha," Kagome stated in a bored tone. "She's obviously just as stubborn as you. Just pick her up and she'll stop chasing you." 

"It is not mine!" 

"So? That doesn't mean you can't pick her up." 

"Its not mine!" 

"Stop howling," Kaede grunted. "We know that she is likely not yours. As Kagome said, that doesn't mean you can't pick her up or comfort her." 

"That's women's work!" he roared. 

"Excuse me?" Kagome growled as she folded her arms together and glared at the hanyou. 

"And when exactly was it that fathers stopped caring for their children?" Sango demanded. 

"She's not mine!" 

"Otoo-sama!" 

"Keep it away!" He leaped across the room again and out of the child's reach. 

"Inuyasha, sit." 

Inuyasha hit the ground, letting out a strangled moan. The child hopped on to his back and latched on to his hair. His moan turned in to a growl and he made a mental note to get Kagome back for this. 

"Otoo-sama," the child purred. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo chuckled. Inuyasha growled louder and made a note to attack them later too... once he had the child somewhere away from him... **far** away from him. 

"See, she's already happier," Kagome said with a smile. 

Kaede chuckled. "She certainly is affectionate." 

"Yes, but Inuyasha as a father," Shippo stated thoughtfully, "just doesn't seem right at all." 

"It's not mine!" 

"But she looks just like you," the kitsune protested. 

"It's not mine! It came out of that god damned holy tree! The old hag even said so!" 

Miroku leaned down and peered thoughtfully at the hanyou still sprawled out on the floor. 

"What?" Inuyasha demanded. 

"Mn, Inuyasha, help me for a moment. I am trying to picture how this would work. How exactly do you get a tree pregnant?" 

"I didn't mate with the god damned tree!" 

"The current evidence would suggest other wise," the monk said calmly as he gave the girl a pat on the top of her head, earning him a sweet smile. 

Inuyasha jumped to his feet. His head was suddenly jerked back as gravity reminded him that the child was indeed still grabbing his hair. He grabbed the child by her collar and yanked her in front of him so he was looking in to her eyes. She continued gripping his hair. 

"Oi. Pup. Let go," he said in a disturbingly calm voice. The child nuzzled against the hair as she blatantly ignored him. The hanyou bristled with anger. "Let go now!" He gave her a shake but to no avail. "I said let go!" 

"I don't think yelling at her does any good," Shippo pointed out. 

He grabbed hold of his hair and tried to pull it from the child's grasp. Her grip tightened. He pulled harder. She held tighter. "Damn it! Let go!" 

"Otoo-sama!" she cried as her eyes began to water. 

"Let go!" 

Sango, for her part, had been listening and watching the entire scene quietly. Now, she turned her attention back to the old miko, asking, "You said she was born from the tree a few days ago, yes?" Kaede nodded. "When she first came out, what happened?" 

"Early in the evening, the tree split open in the spot where the bark was missing and she came out as if being born from a mother. At first she was very still, but after sleeping through the night, she was wide awake. By the afternoon of the first day since she came out, she was walking around. She followed me everywhere and helped out with any chores I was doing. In the next few days, she started helping everyone else out when she could. Then, just as you were coming back, she went running up the road yelling 'otoo-sama'." 

"I see... The place in the tree where it split, is it still open?" 

Again, Kaede nodded. "Yes, but only a little. It has been healing itself and the spot is no longer clear. In a few more days, you probably wont be able to tell where Inuyahna came out." 

Inuyasha froze. His ears twitched. Slowly, his gaze turned towards the old woman. "What?" 

"The opening in the tree is healing," Kaede repeated. 

"No, what did you call it?" 

"Her?" the old woman asked as she glanced at the child still snuggling in to his silver locks. 

"Yes, this thing. What did you name it?" 

"Inuyahna." 

"Why?" 

"It seemed appropriate, given her appearance, to name her after you. Inuyasha, however, is a boy's name and since she is a girl, I chose something that sounded a little more feminine." 

"How dare you!" he barked. "That is my name! I decide who else has it!" 

The miko seemed unfazed. "Her name is Inuyahna, not Inuyasha. You can call her simply Yahna, if you prefer. She responds to both." 

Inuyasha rounded on the old woman and clenched his fists. "You filthy..." His head was rather abruptly yanked down, cutting off his tirade. Gravity had taken hold on the now released child and pulled her towards the ground, along with the hair she had a death grip on. 

"Kaede-sama," Sango quickly broke in, "Could you possibly take us to the tree so we can investigate it closer." 

Kaede nodded.

_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Baba_ = old woman or old hag. It is an impolite way of adressing someone who is old. 

_Haori_ = a japanese coat, jacket, or overshirt. (I found it refered to as all three) 

_Hakama_ = baggy pants that usually bilow out on the bottom. Inuyasha has his gathered and tied tightly around his ankles but the rest is lose. Yahna's are the same. 

_Kawaii_ = cute. I added several 'i's on the end because Kagome cried it out happily because, well, Yahna's really cute. 

_Oi_ = hey 

_Kitsune_ = fox 

_Hanyou_ = a half breed, half demon half human 

_youkai_ = a demon 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Yay. Two chapters up and done. Isn't Yahna cute? She only gets cuter, too. Poor Inuyasha is not having a good day. *grins evilly* And there is so much more fun to be had with him. *starts cackling maniacally, then breaks in to fit of coughing and looks rather pathetic... regains composure and looks normal again.* Well, review and let me know what you think. She I continue or should I never write another Inuyasha fan fic again? 


	3. Holy tree, otoosama?

Golden eyes glared at the child. Yahna had a firm grip on his hakama and toddled happily after him. This whole day was going from bad to worse. Villagers were giving him curious looks as he passed. The only thing keeping them from laughing, he was sure, was their sheer terror of him ripping them apart. Inuyasha gave a slight shudder as he began to imagine what his enemies would think or say. In his mind, he could already hear the taunts of Kouga and Sesshomaru's disapproving jeers about him being weak and doing "women's work". Having a child attached to him... to **HIM** like this was wrong on so many levels it made him sick. He knew he hadn't sired this... this... this _thing_, no matter what it looked like... no matter what it claimed. 

Kagome watched Inuyasha scowl at the child again. She leaned a little closer to Kaede. "Nm, Kaede-ba-chan, do you really think Inuyasha is her otoo?" 

The old woman shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. I've never heard of anything like this before. I suppose it is possible, but I'm more inclined to believe that the tree simply made a creature similar to him since he was sealed to it for 50 years." 

"But why?" 

"That part, I'm not sure of. She hasn't done anything except follow me around since she was born, and now she seems to be doing the same for Inuyasha." 

"Not that he seems too happy about it." 

Kaede chuckled. "True true. I doubt he is sure how to take any of this and is following his usual instincts when faced with something new and unknown." 

"Attacking it?" 

"Mm," the miko sighed with a small nod. "I wish she would say more, though. She holds many mysteries but offers no answers." 

Shippo bounced up next to Yahna and peered at her curiously. She had the most giddy little smile on her face, eyes closed and head swaying left and right slightly. The girl's tiny hands had a solid grip on the red fabric yet not a tight hold. 

_She's trusting him not to run away,_ the kitsune concluded. "She looks like her head's empty," Shippo stated bluntly. 

Inuyasha glanced down and joined him in staring at the child. "It probably is." He shook his leg slightly, but the girl held firm. "Damn it! Let go!" 

"Otoo-sama!" Yahna responded cheerfully. 

Shippo sighed. "I'm beginning to think she likes it when you yell at her." 

"Your right," the hanyou agreed as a malicious smile crept up on his lips. "Maybe if I hit her a few times..." 

"Don't you dare, Inuyasha!" Kagome snapped. He growled at her. "Do and I'll say it. Then she'll be latched on to your hair again." 

He turned up his nose with a "Keh." _I'll just wait until you're gone,_ he snorted mentally. 

Kagome sighed. _He's just gonna wait until I'm gone before he bonks her on the head a couple of times._

Yahna suddenly released her hold on his clothes and trotted in front of him. She lifted her arms up in the air towards him. "Otoo-sama!" 

"What!?!" he barked as walked past her. 

She trotted a little further ahead, holding her arms again. "Otoo-sama!" 

"I said what!?" 

The child walked next to him this time, still holding her arms up. "Otoo-sama!" 

"I think she wants you to pick her up," Sango pointed out. 

"Keh." 

"Otoo-sama!" 

"Oh, just pick her up," Kagome grunted. "It wont kill you." 

"Carrying pups is women's work," he grunted. 

Kagome glared at him but decided to brush the comment aside... for now. "Inuyahna." The child glanced over as her ears twitched. Kagome held her arms down. "I'll carry you." 

The girl glanced back up at Inuyasha's cold face. She grabbed his hakama again and gave a slight tug. "Otoo-sama?" 

"I guess only her 'otoo-sama' will do," Miroku stated with a slight chuckle. 

Inuyasha shot the monk a glare and snarled. "For the last time, I am not that thing's otoo!" 

Miroku held up his hands innocently. "I meant no offense. I was simple stating a fact from her point of view." 

"Keep your 'facts' to yourself!" 

The tree was soon insight. Even from a distance they could see it quite clearly. Right through the center where bark was missing were small rippled lines right along a long gash with bubbled skin on either side. The bumps where rough and slightly pink, like scarred human skin. 

"That is the spot," Kaede stated. "It's become a considerable amount smaller since this morning." 

"Maybe if we open it back up, we can shove it back in," Inuyasha grumbled to himself. 

"You will do nothing of the sort," Kagome grunted. 

"Keh." 

Sango and Miroku walked right up to the tree, looking it up and down. Miroku walked a circle around it, examining the tree closely. The youkai exterminator reached out a hand to touch the bark. 

"It's warm," Sango said in surprise. 

"It was warmest when she was born from it. As warm as a human, in fact," the old miko supplied. 

"But why?" 

"I don't know that either. Perhaps it was to keep her warm." 

Inuyasha glared at the over glorified plant. How dare it do this! He didn't say it could make a child just like him! It wasn't allowed to! 

He felt a sudden pressure on his leg. Golden eyes glanced down to see the child had wrapped her arms around his leg. Her face was twisted in fear. 

"That's what you came out of, brat," he snorted. "That's your otoo-sama." 

She nuzzled against his leg, muttering, "Otoo-sama." 

The hanyou growled and tried to kick the child away. She held firmly to his legs. 

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded. 

"Keh!" 

The adolescent girl shot him a glare. She knelt down and smiled at Yahna. "It's alright. The tree wont hurt you. You came out of it, remember?" Yahna's grip relaxed a little. Kagome held out her arms. "Do you want me to carry you?" 

Yahna glanced up at Inuyasha uncertainly. He snorted. "Well, I don't want you." 

"Be nice!" 

"Humph!" 

The child relented her grip and toddled over to Kagome's arms. Kagome lifted her easily and smiled warmly. "Better?" Yahna nuzzled against her face, earning a chuckle from the adolescent. "I'll take that as a yes." 

"Don't encourage it," Inuyasha scolded. 

"Really, Inuyasha! She's just a child. It's not like she's hurt anyone." 

Not yet, he mentally grumbled. 

Kagome turned up her nose and stomped towards the tree with the child still in her arms. Yahna gripped tightly on to Kagome, nuzzling the school girl's neck in an attempt to hide her face. One of Kagome's hands traced down the child's back in an attempt to comfort her. When she was right in front of the trunk, she held out her free hand and touched the tree. Yahna watched fearfully. 

"See," Kagome chirped. "It doesn't hurt. Go ahead." 

Yahna hesitated. After a few moments, she pried one shaky hand from Kagome's shoulder. Slowly she reached out. Just as her fingers were about to touch the tree, Yahna jerked her hand back and flinched as if she had been stung. 

"It's alright," Kagome urged. "I promise it wont hurt." 

The child glanced in to the adolescent's soft brown eyes, then back at the tree. She reached her hand out again. This time, she just barely touched he tree before jerking back. She waited a second, then blinked curiously. Yahna reached her hand back out and pressed her palm flat against the bark. Carefully, she turned a little in Kagome's grasp and pressed both palms against the trunk. She rubbed them over the bark and eyed it with great interest. 

A proud smile spread across Kagome's face. "See. It wont hurt you. It's a holy tree." 

"Holy... tree...?" Yahna stated uncertainly. Everyone glanced over curiously. The child's eyes drifted up to the branches, down to the roots, then back down to where her hands lay. "Holy tree," she stated again. 

Kaede stared half in shock. "Five days without a word, and in less than an hour, you've brought it up to three words." 

Blink blink. Kagome stared at the old miko in confusion. "Hm? Well, maybe she's just hasn't been able to talk before... like a baby." 

"Maybe..." 

Yahna twisted around in Kagome's arms suddenly. She moved so fast, the adolescent nearly last her hold on the child. Yahna pushed herself part way up on Kagome's shoulders. Her eyes focused on Inuyasha and she smiled like a dog with a bone. _(Sorry. Couldn't resist.)_ Inuyasha stared back at her in annoyance. 

"Otoo-sama!" She pointed her clawed finger at the tree and stated proudly, "Holy tree!"  


_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Ba-cahn_ = grandma or an older woman one is close to (though no always related).   


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Yep, only one new Japanese words for this part. However, I do have a piece of fan art from my friend Tom. It's totally cute. I adore it. If anyone else wants to see it, just head to yangchild. keenspace. com/ images/ yan&yash.jpg, just take out the spaces, and if anyone knows how to make web adresses appear on ff.net documents, please let me know. He did a great job with it. Gotta love photoshop, eh? 

Tessenchan, I assure you I was perfectly normal and uninjured when I came up with this idea. Though banging my head against the wall would probably make more sense than how I actually did. Actually, I cam up with it when I looked at the picture of when Kagome see's Inuyasha for the first time in the first manga just after seeing the first movie. I know it doesn't make any sense. It really doesn't make any sense to me either, but well, yeah, here it is anyway. 

Kawai is pathetic? Really? I didn't know that. I went back and fixed it. Thanks Alana Hikari-Chan. As for 'otoo-sama' vs. 'otou-sama,' I have actually seen it spelled out both ways, but more as 'otoo' than 'otou.' I went with 'otoo' over 'otou' because it was quicker to type, especially since I already have a habit of double typing some letters randomly. Besides, it's all just guesses about how it would be written out with European letters. 

Orean Gunshin, I will read your stuff. I already started. I just haven't finished. Give me a little more time. You know I'm a busy college student. And I don't want to review it until I have finished it. I will read and review it soon. I promise. You are not the only one on my list that I promised to read and review, ya know. 

Well, I'm off to tackle another chapter and work on my neglected Slayer's fic. 'Till next chapter. 


	4. Evil evil holy tree!

"No, evil tree," the half dog youkai corrected. Yahna suddenly looked confused. "If it were a 'holy' tree, you wouldn't be here." 

"Inuyasha, sit!" The hanyou's face greeted the ground for the third time that day. He muttered a few choice words. "And don't swear in front of Inuyahna! She's too little to understand not to repeat them."

"Bitch," he grumbled. Kagome shot him a glare and he stopped himself from saying anything more. Inuyasha may not have always been too bright, but he did have good, healthy fear of getting sat again. 

Young, impressionable blue eyes watched the whole scene with great interest. Yahna blinked curiously, seemingly unsure of how to react to this. As Inuyasha picked himself up, she grinned from ear to ear and snuggled back up to Kagome. 

Sango and Miroku sighed as they watched the scene before them. This wasn't getting them anywhere. The youkai exterminator approached Kagome and the child. She gave the child a good once over before turning her attention to the school girl. 

"Kagome-chan, can you sense anything from within the tree?" 

Kagome shook her head. "No, it doesn't feel any different than normal." Her auburn eyes traveled up to the healing wound in the trunk. _But I haven't touched where she came out..._

Inuyasha snarled at the tree as he walked up to it. "Stupid tree," he grunted, then kicked some dirt at it. "Evil stupid tree." He leaped up on the roots so he was standing right in front of where he used to be attached. One clawed hand reached up, ready to dig his claws through it, but stopped. Heat radiated from the bare spot. 

Out of curiosity, he reached out and touched it. Warm... very warm. He growled. _Stupid god damned tree._ **B-bump.** Inuyasha's eyes widened ten fold. **B-bump... b-bump.** Inuyasha's brow furrowed. _A heart beat?_ A sudden pulse of energy shot through his arm and he felt some of the flesh like wood shift under his hand. 

Instinctually, the hanyou jerked back. The next second he was standing several feet away, Kagome in hand. He was crouched slightly behind the Japanese girl and growling. His hands gripped her shoulders so tightly his claws cut the fabric but were careful to not cut her skin. Kagome turned her gaze towards him in confusion. Everyone else gave him a curious and slightly concerned glance. 

"EVIL EVIL GOD DAMNED HOLY TREE!" he roared in a threatening voice. "Taking advantage of innocent hanyous!" 

Miroku leaned closer to Sango, whispering, "Innocent hanyou? Who's an innocent hanyou?" 

"Yahna, maybe," the taijiya replied. 

Kagome sighed. "You're not very scary from there, ya know." 

"Hiding behind women and children..." Shippo trailed off with a shake of his head. 

Children? Inuyasha glanced down slightly and suddenly found himself nose to nose with Yahna. 

"Otoo-sama," the child half purred. 

The dog youkai leaped back with an "urk" and a snarl. "Keep that... that... thing away!" He let out a low, dangerous growl before leaping off in to one of the trees and out of sight. 

"Well, he took that better than expected," Kaede remarked.   


~~~~~   


The same goofy smile she had been wearing since he first saw her was still plastered on Yahna's face. Inuyasha scowled from his same perch in a tree just outside of Kaede's home. Yahna made a jump at the trunk in an attempt to climb it. Though she managed to grab on to the trunk, her grip was weak and she soon tumbled off with a yip. The child sat up, shook her head, then tried again... with the same results. The hanyou growled at her. She'd been doing this for over an hour without tiring. The sun had gone down some time ago and most of the villagers had gone to sleep. Thump. Yip. Roll. _Damn it! Doesn't it ever get tired!?!_

"Give it up, brat. You're not getting up and I don't want you," he snorted. 

"You don't have to be so mean, Inuyasha," Kagome scolded as she walked up under the tree. He grunted in response. "She's not going to hurt you." The girl reached down and scooped the child up in her arms. "Dinner is ready. Are you going to come in to eat." 

Inuyasha weighed the situation in his mind. He was hungry. Whatever the old miko had made smelled good. Getting food sounded good. If he went down, the creature would latch on to him again and that was the last thing he wanted. She would probably hang on him all night and refuse to let go. Tree or food? Hunger or weird tree pup hang on to him? 

"Keh!" 

Kagome shrugged. "Fine then. I'll tell Kaede your not hungry." 

"Keh!" 

The adolescent disappeared back inside with Yahna, leaving him alone. Inuyasha snorted again. _Good! I don't want them out here anyway! Stupid Kagome! Stupid pup! Stupid, god damned tree pup!_   


~~~~~   


Yahna happily slurped up the soup given to her and didn't hesitate in holding out her bowl for more. She gave Kaede a delightful grin as her bowl was refilled, then slurped it down as well. The child held out the bowl for more with an innocent smile. Everyone blinked... then blinked again. 

"She certainly has Inuyasha appetite," Sango commented. 

"She isn't going to eat us, is she?" Shippo asked. 

"I doubt that," Kaede sighed as she gave the child a third helping. "Does she always eat this much?" Kagome inquired as she took a bite of her rice. 

The old miko nodded. She pointed to the untouched bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks next to the little girl. "She has trouble using chopsticks so she doesn't eat anything solid. I tried helping her but she just couldn't get it right. Drinking soup is easier so that's all that she has." 

Miroku eyed the child with a frown. "She can't live on just soup. She has to eat other things to grow up healthy." 

"She'll try again when she's hungry enough," Kaede responded. "You can't force a child to eat anything they are not hungry for." 

Yahna gave a exaggerated sigh and set the bowl in front of her. She leaned back with one hand behind her and rubbed her stomach with the other. A yawn escaped her, and her eye lids drooped. With a warm, full belly, she now felt ready to sleep. Her eyes lazily glanced at the door. She rolled up to her feet and toddled towards the drape made of reeds. The child suddenly found herself grabbed and dragged in to Kagome's lap. 

"You should leave him alone for a little while," the adolescent said calmly. "I think he's still a little spooked about all of this." She smiled warmly at the child, hoping to convince the girl to stay. Yahna sighed and leaned back against Kagome. 

"Kagome-sama," Miroku suddenly spoke up, "Weren't you going back to your country today?" 

"Hm, I can go back in the morning before school. Someone has to keep Inuyahna away from Inuyasha. He might hurt her..." 

"Might? Try will," the kitsune retorted. "He hates children." 

"And he's violent," Sango added. 

"With a terrible temper," Miroku put in. 

"And absolutely no patience," Kaede stated. 

The child blinked and glanced up at Kagome's face. "Otoo-sama?" 

"Yes, Inuyasha, or otoo-sama as you've so deemed him," the school girl sighed. "But don't worry. I'm staying the night. You just need to be patient with Inuyasha. He just needs a little time to get use to you."   


~~~~~   


Another growl of his stomach and the lack of other noise in the village finally enticed the hanyou out of his tree. _And when did I become so weak that I can't even go one day without food anymore?_ he mentally chastised as he hunched outside the door to Kaede's hut and listened. His ears twitched as he picked up the faint sound of snores from the sleeping inhabitants. _Good. The brat's finally out._

Carefully, he skulked inside. The fire was out and the room was dark. Leaned against one wall, Miroku slept while holding his staff. Sango was curled up in a sheet with Kirara resting on her back. The old miko slept calmly next to the youkai exterminator. On the other side of the fire pit was Kagome wrapped up in her sleeping bag with Shippo curled up in her arms and Shippo on her back... 

Wait a second! He looked over the children and Kagome again. It was definitely Shippo on her back. Curled up against Kagome's chest was a very content Yahna. _That filthy tree brat! How dare it sleep in Kagome's bed! The little monster!_ Inuyasha growled and reached out with his claws to grab the child. 

"Something wrong?" Miroku inquired with a yawn. The half dog youkai shot him a glare and yanked his hand back. "Why do you care where she sleeps? She's not bothering you." 

"Keh!" Inuyasha grunted. 

"Kagome saved a bowl for you by the fire," the monk sighed. 

Inuyasha's eyes darted to the bowl setting by the cooking fire covered by a handkerchief. He humphed but grabbed the bowl and chopsticks anyway. Miroku just smiled. 

"Not a word, bouzo," the hanyou growled. 

"Of course not," the human replied.

  


_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Taijiya_ = exterminator, usually said in reference to killing youkai in _Inuyasha_. I interchange this word with "youkai exterminator" occasionally just to vary the pace and flow of the writing a little. 

_ Bouzo_ = a derogitory term for a monk (can't find the exact meaning, does anyone know?). Inuyasha calls Miroku this randomly throughout the show (usually when angry at Miroku).  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Fixed the spelling of youkai. Still doesn't look right to me, but that's probably just because I spell using English grammar rules. I'll stick with how I'm spelling other things simply because that is how I found the words when I looked for them. I put it down as hanyou instead of hanyoo because that is how I found it written out. The same goes with otoo, okaa, imoto, etc. 

Glad people like it so far. I'm enjoying writing it. Of course, we know Shippo is going to have to take advantage of the situation. What fun would it be if he didn't? He he he. Well, I'm off to do more writing and homework. Remember to review. 


	5. My new imooto

"He's going to be furious when he wakes up," Sango warned but made no movement to intervene. 

Shippo humphed as he gathered more silver hair in his hands. "It's his own fault for over sleeping. No, Yahna! Not so much!" The tree child looked at him and blinked. "Only grab as much as you can hold in one hand, like this." Shippo lifted his fist full of hair so she could see. She let go of some of the hair. "Not so little, though. It wont stay if you don't have enough. Grab just a little bit more." She grabbed one small chunk and gazed at him nervously. The kit smiled. "Good. Now just hold it. I'll tie it in a second." 

Shippo grabbed one of the pink ribbons he had acquired from his shoulder. No one asked where he had "found" them nor did any of the adults feel inclined to. The kitsune was determined to mock the dog hanyou and nothing anyone said, did, or asked was going to change his mind. 

An amused smile spread across Miroku's lips as he watched the two children. Oh yes, Inuyasha was going to beat the two of them senseless for this... assuming they didn't make a run for Kagome. She caught him, pink ribbons or not, he would be sat for picking on the children. 

"You should take those out before he wakes up," Sango warned again as she continued to sharpen Hiraikotsu. 

"Then he shouldn't sleep this late, now should he," the kit teased. 

He hopped down from the sleeping Inuyasha's shoulder and next to Yahna. Carefully, he gathered the hair, hopped on Inuyasha shoulder, and tied the second ribbon in. When it was fastened tightly so it wouldn't come out without being pulled, he stood back to admire their work. He looked over the sleeping adult hanyou with a confident smirk. As usual, Inuyasha was sleeping sitting up with Tetsusiaga leaned against him. This time, however, there were two pretty, pink bows in it. 

"I think he looks good," the kitsune smirked. "Don't you, Yahna?" The girl nodded enthusiastically. Shippo glanced down at the other two ribbons in his hands. "Maybe we should give him two more." Yahna nodded. 

The children stated walking towards him again. Inuyasha gave a grunt as he started waking up. The kitsune squeaked, shoved the ribbons in Yahna's hands, and bolted for the door. Miroku and Sango couldn't help but chuckle. Yahna suddenly trotted over to the monk and laid the ribbons across his knee. He raised a curious eyebrow at her. She smiled and trotted back to Inuyasha. 

Yahna crawled in to Inuyasha's lap, startling him awake, and announced, "Otoo-sama!" 

Inuyasha jerked back, banging against the wall. After a few seconds of staring at the child, his memory kicked. _Damn it! It wasn't just some horrible nightmare._ "Get off, brat!" he snapped. The child smiled brightly and snuggled against him. He snagged hold of one of her legs and pulled her away before she could get a firm grip. "I said get off!" 

Out of the corner of his eye, the hanyou spotted Miroku shoving something pink in to his robes. He snorted and dropped the girl as she made an unceremonious thud as she hit the floor. He stood stiffly and headed out the door. Without wasting a second, Yahna bounced to her feet and went trotting after him. 

Miroku and Sango covered their moths to keep from bursting out if a fit of laughter.

~~~~~

Kagome was just about to say good bye to Kaede when she spotted Inuyasha coming out. She'd seen Shippo go speeding past a moment ago, so she figured he was probably awake now. _About time... what the!?! _

The teenager gaped. Curious as to what she was staring at, Kaede turned to see. She blinked in surprise as she stared at the approaching half-breed. Her eyes focused on a pair of small pony tails sticking out from the side of his head tied with little pink bows. 

"Oi! Where are you going!?" he snapped at Kagome. 

"..." 

Inuyasha looked at her in annoyance. Something about the way she and the old hag were looking at him didn't sit right with him. "What?" he demanded. 

"Uh..." 

"Are you going for a new hair style?" Kaede asked with a chuckle. 

He gave her a questioning glare. "What?" He felt a gentle tug on his hakama and glanced down to see Yahna standing next to him with her usual cheery smile. "Go away, pup." 

"Your, um, hair," Kagome whimpered as she struggled to keep from laughing. 

"Huh?" He reached up and felt around his head. He soon found something tying up his hair and gave it a small yank. 

The strip of cloth came out and he examined it. _A pink ribbon?_ His eyes narrowed. Inuyasha reached around and found an identical ribbon tied on the other side. One silver eyebrow twitched as he made his hands in to fists. He whirled around and stomped back towards the small house with Yahna close behind. 

"Someone is going to die!" he growled. Kagome suddenly burst out laughing. Inuyasha cringed. _Oh yes, someone is going to die._

The first thing Inuyasha did once he was back inside was go for the monk struggling not to laugh. He grabbed Miroku but the front his robes and lifted him off the ground. 

"What the hell is wrong with you!?!" the hanyou roared. 

"Now now, Inuyasha. Calm down," Miroku said in a annoyingly calm voice. The claws squeezed harder. "It was not me." 

"Who..." 

"Yahna an..." 

The gold eyes glared at the girl standing next to him. He dropped the human in favor of grabbing the tree born child. Clawed hand snagged her by the back of her haori and lifted her up to eye level. "You god damn little...!" 

"Sit!" The hanyou became one with the floor... again. Kagome strode in and glared at him. "She's too little to understand why your mad, Inuyasha. Hitting her will do nothing but hurt her." 

Yahna sat on the ground in front of him, petting his head. Inuyasha muttered a few choice words as he watched Kagome leave. _The tree pup is so dead._

~~~~~

_I can't believe him! Picking on her like that! She's only a week old! Not even that! Six days! Six whole days!_ Kagome let out a small snort as she stomped towards the well. _He's such a jerk!..._

"Kagome!" Shippo cried as he leaped from the edge of the well in to her arms. She easily caught him and smiled at the child. "Do you really have to go?" he asked with large, pleading emerald eyes. 

The teenager gave a nod. "I have to go to school sometimes. I'll be back in a few days, though." The kit pouted as she set him on the edge of the well. She sat and dangled her legs inside. A thought suddenly struck her. "Mm, Shippo, can you do me a favor?" This caught the youkai child's attention instantly and he perked up. If there was one thing he liked, it was being useful. "While I'm gone, could you keep an eye on Inuyahna? Makes sure she stays out of trouble and keep Inuyasha from hurting her?" 

Shippo puffed his chest proudly. "You can count on me! I'll keep her right where I can see her and make sure she knows where it's safe to play!" he boasted. 

"Thank you," Kagome stated with an affectionate smile. "Be sure to play with her too. You don't want your new imoot to be bored or feel left out." 

"My new imoot?" 

The schoolgirl nodded. "Um hm. Your new imoot. Take good care of her and I'll bring you back a treat." She slipped off the side and disappeared in the darkness. 

For a long moment, the kitsune just stared at the darkness where she had gone. "My new imoot..." he whispered to himself, then puffed up proudly. "Yes, my new imoot, and I'm going to take good care of her, Kagome. Just watch... Wait, does that make Inuyasha my new otoo-san? Eh! I don't want Inuyasha to be my otoo-san!"

~~~~~

A deep sigh escaped the half dog youkai as he walked by the river. This day had started off bad and so far it wasn't getting any better. A slight tug on his hakama reminded him why this day was so horrible. _How exactly did I get tricked in to pup sitting with the old hag?_

"Otoo-sama!" the now familiar voice cried from below. 

"Go away!" he snapped as he scowled at the girl toddling just behind him with a grip on his clothes. "I'm not your otoo-sama!" 

"Otoo-sama, Otoo-sama, Otoo-sama," the child repeated in a sing-song voice. 

Inuyasha stopped and snarled. "Stop it! Leave me alone! I don't want you! Go crawl back in the god damned tree!" 

"Otoo-sama, Otoo-sama, Otoo-sama," she continued to sing as if he hadn't spoken. 

"Infuriating, worthless, little whelp," he grumbled and continued walking. The child happily kept pace, still singing the word 'Otoo-sama' over and over again. His eyes shifted over to the water, then to the pup, and back again. I_t wouldn't be that hard to drown it,_ he contemplated. 

"Are you looking for something?" Kaede inquired as she walked a few paces ahead of him. 

"Keh!" 

"If your thinking of drowning her, I don't recommend it. She's already proven she can swim. Even if you did manage to drown her, I would imagine explaining to everyone else _why_ you purposely killed her would be rather difficult... unless you would like Kagome to turn against you." He growled. "Now, hurry up. The sooner we get to the forest, the sooner we can gather herbs, and the sooner we can be done." He snorted but skulked after her anyway. 

"Otoo-sama, Otoo-sama, Otoo-sama," the girl continued to sign. 

"Can't you make it shut up!?!" 

The old woman stopped and glanced down at the child. "Yahna, could you please keep quiet for a little while?" The girl snapped her mouth shut and nodded with a giddy smile. "She responds better when you ask nicely," the miko explained. 

Inuyasha growled. _Nicely, huh? Fine! I can be nice!_ "Yahna, could you please let go of my hakama?" he asked in forced politeness. The child glanced at him curiously but made no move to let go. 

"If she does that, you'll run away again," Kaede responded. 

He glared at the old miko but decided to try it her way. "I wont run away if you let go," he grated out. 

The child glared at him and gripped tighter. 

"She's also quite good at judging when people are lying." 

"God damned tree bitch," he grumbled. 

"Otoo-sama?" He glanced down at the child and found her holding one arm up to him. 

"I am not picking you up, brat," the hanyou grunted in response. 

Kaede looked back and sighed. "Yahna, come take my hand and walk with me." She held out her right hand for the girl. 

Yahna looked at the woman for a moment, then smiled. She gripped the hand she had been holding up back on to his hakama. Carefully, she reached over with her left hand and grabbed the left leg of his hakama. She maneuvered over so she could grip the cloth on his left leg with her right hand. Then, she trotted a few steps ahead, pulling on the red cloth as much as she could and grabbed hold on the woman's hand with her left hand. 

Inuyasha had watched the whole display and growled yet again. "Can't you make the damn brat let go!?" 

"Yahna, please let go of Inuyasha," the miko requested. 

"Otoo-sama!" the girl snapped as she pulled the cloth closer. For a moment, Inuyasha was tempted to just take off the hakama and just give it to the pup, saying 'she could have them if it would make her leave him alone.' One look from Kaede, however, warned him not to. 

"No, I can't make her let go. You will just have to get use to her being there." 

"Keh!" 

As they made their way in to Inuyasha's forest, Yahna stopped by the holy tree. She gave a tug on Inuyasha's hakama, commanding him to stop as well. Kaede had stopped in front of a tree near by and was picking some plant leaves. Inuyasha sighed and slumped on to the ground. 

"Holy tree!" Yahna stated proudly as she pointed to the tree while keeping the other hand still firmly attached to his clothes. 

"Evil tree," Inuyasha corrected. 

"Holy tree," the child persisted. 

"No, god damned fucking evil piece of shit tree!" Inuyasha snarled as he glared at the child. The hanyou suddenly had a devilish thought. He stood and flexed his claws. "Maybe I should share with everyone else just what that damned thing is." Yahna glanced at him curiously and blinked as he advanced on the tree, dragging her along with him. 

Kaede glanced over just as Inuyasha was about to drag one claw through the bark. "Inuyasha, you will not carve obscenities in to the holy tree!" she scolded. He glared at her. The triangle ears twitched in annoyance. A moment later, his golden eyes focused on the pup still holding on to him. A malicious smile spread across his face as he reached for her. "You will not carve obscenities in to the child, either!" 

"Damn mind reading old hag," he pouted. 

"I don't need to read minds to know what you're planning." 

"Humph!" 

"Otoo-sama?" 

"Baka tree brat." 

The three continued in relative silence further into the forest. Yahna kept a firm hold on her "otoo-sama" the whole time, much to his annoyance. As Kaede finished gathering herbs, they headed back towards the village. It was still early in the day, but already Inuyasha was ready to climb up a tree and take a nap... high up in a tree... where the girl couldn't get to him. 

"Yahna!" Shippo's squeaky voice rang out as they got close to the village. The kit came in to sight a moment later, darting straight for the curious girl. "Yahna! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" he half cried. She blinked. "I thought Inuyasha might have done something to you." 

"He considered it several times," Kaede stated gruffly as she walked past them. 

Shippo looked horrified. "He wouldn't!?!" 

"Of course I would," Inuyasha grunted. "Anything to get the brat away." 

"Ah! No! You can't kill my new imoot!" 

"Your new imoot?" Inuyasha cringed. This wasn't a good sign. 

Shippo folded his arms together and puffed out his chest. "That's right, my imoot! But don't expect me to start calling you otoo-san." 

"You do and I'll kill you," the hanyou threatened. 

The kit turned back to Yahna. "You shouldn't go off anywhere with Inuyasha when Kagome's not here. He beats up defenseless kids like you." 

"Oh, you mean like this!" the hanyou growled as he bopped Shippo on the head. 

Yahna clamped both her hands over her mouth in shock. Her azure eyes focused down on the poor kit lying face first in the dirt. Inuyasha took advantage of the momentary distraction and leaped in to nearest tree. 

"Otoo-sama!" she cried as she realized her mistake. The pup ran to the base on the tree and tried to leap up it. She didn't get far and tumbled back down. 

"Keh! Thanks for the distraction, brat!" He leaped off in to the sky, over the trees, and out of sight. 

"Otoo-sama! Otoo-sama!" the girl wailed. 

Shippo pulled himself back up and dusted off his clothes. His hands traced up to the new ache on his head. _This one's gonna leave a huge bump,_ he thought with a sigh. The kit glanced over at Yahna slumped on her knees whimpering at the base of the tree Inuyasha had just been in. 

"Don't worry about it, Yahna. He's just being a jerk. He always is." 

She looked back at him with tear filled eyes. "Shippo-chan, Otoo-sama!" 

The kitsune froze. "Shippo-chan? You know my name?" She nodded and started to wipe her eyes. He puffed out his chest proudly with a smug smile. "I'm your fifth word!" He trotted over to her and helped her stand back up. "It's Shippo-nii-san," he corrected. "I'm your onii-san so call my Shippo-nii-san or just nii-san, kay?" 

"Shippo-chan," Yahna repeated. 

"Nii-san." 

"Shippo-chan." 

"I'm not going to change your mind, am I?" The girl shook her head no. "Alright, I guess you can call me Shippo-chan, but only if I can call you Yahna-chan." She smiled happily and nodded. "Good, now come on. Kagome told me I need to take care of you, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. Why don't I teach you a few games..."

_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_imoot_ = younger sister 

_Onii_ = older brother 

_Nii_ = short way of saying older brother; kind of like saying bro 

_San_ = mister, miss, or misses; a polite way of adressing someone. It is also used at the end of older sibling and partental terms a lot (otoo-san, onii-san, etc.) but not younger siblings. 

_ Chan_ = a term put on the end of young children's names and used with close friends, usually girls. Kagome, for example, calls Shippo 'Shippo-cahn' and Sango 'Sango-chan'. It doesn't really have an exact translation equivalence in English. 

_ Baka_ = idiot, though I've also seen it used in place of stupid too.

_Kit_ = young fox; not a japanese word but I thought I should add it for people who were curious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Yay, five chapters! I made this one extra long (sorry if it annoyed people) because I'm not going to have my computer for the whole week and wont be able to post for the week. I think I can keep this fic updating once a week so long as I keep a little ahead in my writing. Anyone have a preference for what day of the week they'd like to see it update? One more question. I have two spellings for mother: oka and okaa? Now, I can pronounce the word, but I don't know which would be the correct spelling. I really am trying to do the spellings right, and I really appreciate everyone's help. Oh, Amakara has a great sight with spelling of names and such from Inuyasha. It's very helpful and I definitely recommend people take a look at it (and the rest of it) if you are writing any fanfic, not just an Inuyasha one.

I fixed bouzu, though I think Miroku can pass as a bozo sometimes. also, Oi is actually a Japanese word so I added it back in chapter two where it was first used. I hope that putting the meaning of the words at the bottom does help people. I know that I sometimes come across Japanese words (especially in Inuyasha fan fics) I don't know and it is a pain to go look it up sometimes.

Alright, I feel like I should explain the bows. This was not entirely my own idea. I came across a fan art picture a while ago of Inuyasha with pink bows in his hair. I can't for the life of me remember where I saw it, so I can't point people in the right direction to see it. However, when I saw it, I thought of Shippo and Yahna tying up his hair. It was too cute not to put in and gave Shippo a good reason for being at the well before Kagome. 

Amakara , I'd love to be in your good fic guide. I'm honored you think I'm good enough to mention. Really, I had no idea my idea was _that_ original. I know children being born from trees is a little odd, but places in Europe has stories of dryads who come out of tree. There was a talking tree in the show (I wont ruin it for people who haven't seen that far and just leave it at that). Everyone else, thank you for reviewing. 


	6. YOU'RE DEAD BRAT!

"You ready, Yahna-chan?" Shippo inquired. Yahna nodded with a gleeful grin. 

Tracking down Inuyasha had taken them the better part of two hours, but they had done it. Now, the children were huddled in a bush down wind from the pouting inu hanyou somewhere in the middle of the woods. Shippo placed the leaf on his head. He gave her one last smile before a small puff of smoke surrounded him. A small pop later, the smoke cleared and in the kitsune's place stood an exact copy of the 'tree pup,' as Inuyasha called her. 

"How do I look?" Yahna blinked curiously and walked a circle around him. Then she smiled brightly. He smirked. "Good. Ready?" She nodded with a matching smile. The two went toddling in to plain sight just under bitter hanyou's chosen tree. Inuyasha showed no sign of noticing them, so they flopped down at the base of the tree and stared up at him with matching azure eyes. 

"Otoo-sama! Otoo-sama! Otoo-sama!" 

Inuyasha grunted as he was pulled out of slumber. _Damn it! And I was having such a nice dream too... One where that filthy tree pup didn't exist._ "Go away!" he barked with out looking down. 

"Otoo-sama?" 

The hanyou looked down. A low growl escaped his throat. "I said go away!" He jerked his eyes back up, then they widened in horror. Inuyasha did a double take. He jerked in a crouch on the branch, nearly falling off in the process. He couldn't believe his eyes._ It multiplied? _he mentally whimpered. _How...? When...? What...? But...?_ "What the hell!?!" 

"Otoo-sama?" the first Yahna asked. 

"Otoo-sama?" the second Yahna inquired. 

"Since when are there two of you!?!" 

"Otoo-sama!" The first held her arms up to him. The second crouched next to her and looked ready to jump up. 

"No no no!" the hanyou cried. The second girl leaped and latched her claws in to the tree. "You keep away, you evil tree pups!" 

The pup slid off the trunk and plopped on the ground. The second toddled up next to her curiously and helped her stand. 

_Oh yeah, the brat can't climb,_ Inuyasha remembered. 

The pup crouched again but it set it's aim a little higher this time. The first pup watched the second and mimicked her. Yahna two grinned and leaped. Inuyasha glared at it. The pup had latched on to the tree again, but this time was holding on to a branch. She pulled herself up and made ready to leap for the branch he was on. The hanyou instantly bolted higher up the tree. 

"Don't come near me!" Inuyasha snarled. 

The child seemed unfazed and leaped after him. He climbed higher and higher with her right at his heals. The branches creaked and moaned as they struggled to hold his weight. One of the branches started snapping and he knew he couldn't go any higher. Golden eyes glared down at the child. He growled in an attempt to keep her back and cover up his growing fear of the brat. _How the hell can it climb!?! It couldn't last night!?! _

Yahna two leaped straight for his chest. Instinctually, he grabbed the child by her haori, stopping her mid flight. The child was held at arm's length. A small whimper he couldn't suppress escaped him as she held out her arms to him with a gleeful expression. 

"Otoo-sama!" 

"Otoo-sama!" the one below mimicked, making him cringe. 

Shippo's scent suddenly caught his attention. The illusion stated to fade. The pup's hair turned orange. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes dangerously. All of his fear suddenly turned to anger as he scowled at the child.   


~~~~~  


Back in the village, Sango and Miroku sat peacefully enjoying their lunch. It had been a rather uneventful day, as it usually was when Kagome was gone. Aside from a few groping attempts and Shippo crying about losing his precious imoot, nothing had really happened. 

The sun was shinning, giving the land a pleasant warmth. A few fluffy clouds dotted the sky. Spring birds sang as the danced about collecting food for their newly hatched chicks. The villagers were working in the fields, caring for the new sprouts. A few butterflies danced here and there. Everything was peaceful and calm. All and all, it was an absolutely perfect day. 

"YOU'RE DEAD, BRAT!!!!!!!!!" 

And the calm was shattered. 

The two froze mid bite. "Was that Inuyasha?" Miroku inquired. 

"Sounded like," Sango replied. "Didn't he go somewhere in the forest?" 

"I was under the impression that he had." They glanced at each other nervously. "You haven't seen Shippo or Yahna recently, have you?" 

"No," Sango replied slightly fearful. "He wouldn't...?" 

"He sounded mad enough to." 

The two had just started to stand when Shippo came screaming back in to the village. Hot on his heals was Inuyasha looking extremely furious. He made a leap from the kit but Shippo was more agile. He dashed aside and bolted in to Sango's arms. Without any hesitation, he squirmed down the front of her kimono. The taijiya's eyes grew to five times their normal size. 

"Come out of there brat!! Face death like a man!!" Inuyasha snarled as he stared at the quivering bundle on Sango's chest. 

"I'm not a man! I'm just a helpless little kid!" Shippo sobbed back. 

Inuyasha growled and started advancing on the woman. 

Sensing she might just get the front of her kimono ripped open, Sango blushed and quickly decided to change the subject. "Um, Inuyasha, where's Yahna?" 

"Who cares! Give him over!" 

Alright, she could deal with Shippo later, she decided. Inuyasha had to be calmed down first. He was more of a threat than the kitsune. "In a moment. First, where is Yahna? She isn't...?" The taijiya glanced over at the trees. Inuyasha grunted in response. Sango suddenly felt her blood boil. "Inuyasha! You didn't!" 

"Keh!" 

"Go get her!" she ordered as she pointed towards the woods. 

"No! Hand over the damn brat!" 

"She is too little to be left alone! Go get her!" 

"I said no! Watching pups is women's work!" 

"If I have to go get her, your not going to be happy," Sango hissed. 

Inuyasha ignored her threat. When she reached for Hiraikotsu, he hesitated. After a moment, he turned up his nose, shoved his hands in his sleeves, and grunted, "Fine! Keep the brat! I'll get him later!" He leaped in to a tree and then off towards the woods. 

"Is that the direction Yahna's in?" Sango quickly asked Shippo. 

The kitsune peeked his head out. "No." 

Sango scowled. "Figures." Her eyes fluttered down to Shippo. "Shippo-chan, next time you decide to hide somewhere, don't run down my kimono." 

"Huh?" He peeked around him, his eyes pausing over the chuckling Miroku, and realized where he was. "Oh, ah, sorry," he replied sheepishly and climbed out without moving it enough to show anything. The kit climbed on to her shoulder as she straightened the top back in place. "We're going after her, right." 

"Of course," Sango sighed. "Someone has to. Do you want to come, Houshi-sama?" 

"Hm, take a walk in the forest alone with..." 

"On second thought, I can go without you," she snorted. She pulled her boomerang on and started for the woods. "Which way, Shippo-chan?" 

"That way," he said as he pointed. "I think that's it, anyway. I didn't really pay attention to where I was running." 

Sango's dark eyes glanced over a tattered bush. "Somehow, I think following your trail isn't going to be all that hard." 

They made their way through the forest, following a trail of destruction. It didn't take long for them to come right back to the spot where Inuyasha had been sleeping. There was no sign of Yahna. 

"Great," Sango sighed as she rubbed a hand over her eyes. "Where did she go?" 

Shippo sniffed the wind, trying to find her but not catching her scent anywhere. "We could try calling for her." 

"While she even respond?" 

"She might...Yahna-chan!" the kit yelled as loud as he could, causing Sango to flinch. She pulled the kit from her shoulder and placed him on the ground. "Yahna-chan!" 

"Yahna-chan!" Sango joined in. 

"Yahna-chan! Yahna-chan!" They started walking back the way they came. "Yahna-chan! Yahna-chan!" 

"Shippo-chan!" A squeaky voice whimpered. 

Sango and Shippo stopped abruptly and gazed at each other. When they were certain that the other had heard it as well, they both called out, "Yahna-chan!" 

"Shippo-chan!" A slimy 'sulp' caught their attention. The jogged a few feet ahead and glanced off the side of the makeshift path. Down at the bottom of a rather steep, muddy hill was Yahna... covered in mud. Her eyes were full of tears as she made an attempt to run up the muddy hill. Sulp. She slipped back down. 

"Ah! Yahna-chan! Stay right there! I'll get you!" Shippo cried. He leaped towards the girl only to be grabbed by his tail and yanked back. He scowled at Sango. "Let go! I have to take care of my imoot!" 

"imoot?" Sango questioned. 

Yahna tried to leap up the hill. Sulp. She sat again at the bottom with huge, tearful eyes. 

"Yes, imoot! She's my imoot!" 

"You're not going to start calling Inuyasha otoo as well, are you?" the woman asked dryly. 

"Of course not! I'd rather have my tail bitten off! She's just my imoot! Kagome said so! Now let go! I have to take care of her!" 

Yet again, the girl tried to run up the hill. Sulp... 

"There's a better way to do this, you know." 

"There is?" 

Sango nodded. She set Shippo back down and took Hiraikotsu off her back. Carefully, she laid it down the side of the hill while holding on to one end. 

"Yahna-chan, climb up Hiraikotsu." 

Yahna blinked, then grinned from ear to ear. She easily trotted up the bone boomerang. The girl made a dash straight for Sango to hug her but was held back. 

"Uh ah, no Yahna-chan. Your covered in mud and I don't want to have to wash these," the woman explained gently. The child blinked back at her in confusion. "You need a bath first." Brown eyes shifted to Shippo as a smirk appeared on Sango's lips. "And I think we know exactly who should take her for a bath." 

"We do?" Shippo inquired. Sango nodded. He stared at her in confusion. Then his eyes widened. "No! He'll hurt her!" 

"It's his fault she's covered in all that in the first place. It seems only fair that he should be the one to bathe her." 

"But Kaede said he already thought of killing her! ..." 

The taijiya got up and stared to walk away, ignoring Shippo's protests. "Come on, Shippo-chan, Yahna-chan. Let's go find him." 

"But... but..." 

Yahna toddled after Sango. Shippo sighed and gave in, hoping Sango knew what she was doing.   


~~~~~  


"Inuyasha!" 

The hanyou flinched at the sound of Sango's voice. He had finally found some peace and quiet in the tree out side Kaede's and she had to come along and ruin it. Why couldn't they all just leave him alone. 

"What?" he barked without looking down. 

"Come down here." 

"Keh." 

"Told you he wouldn't listen," Shippo snorted. 

Inuyasha sat up and glared at the kit. "Oh, so you finally decided to hand over the brat." Shippo squeaked and hid behind her. "Peh, you better run, brat. When I get my claws on you, I'm ripping your tail out and feeding it to you." 

"Otoo-sama!" 

Inuyasha flinched again as he spotted the tree pup peeking out from behind Sango. Mud covered most of the front of her body. _Damn it! Why'd she bring it back!? It's not mine! It's just some... tree... thing!_ "I see you found the other brat." 

"No thanks to you, but yes," the human woman sighed. "Inuyasha, come down." 

"No." 

"Shame Kagome isn't here. She could just sit him," Shippo grunted from his hiding place. 

Inuyasha smirked as he caught the child's remark. _Well she's not here. So what are you going to do about it, runt?_

Sango sighed and rubbed a hand over her eyes. "True. I guess it doesn't matter. You're probably right, Shippo. He wouldn't be able to do it anyway." 

"Do what?" the hanyou damned. 

"Nothing. Come on Shippo-chan, Yahna-chan. We'll take care of it ourselves." The three started to walk away. 

"Take care of what?" 

"Nothing your smart enough to help us with," the kitsune snorted. 

Inuyasha leaped out of the tree and made a grab for the youkai boy. Shippo was faster and deftly avoided the claws. Yahna bounded into Inuyasha before he could stop her and latched on to his chest again. He cringed as she slid down a little, smearing the mud on to his haori. Somehow, despite her hands being covered in the muck, she managed to hang on. 

"Damn it!" Inuyasha growled. "Brat! Get off!" 

"Otoo-sama!" Yahna yelled back with as fierce a glare as she could manage. "Otoo-sama! Otoo-sama!" 

"Worthless whelp!" 

"Hm, well, since your both dirty now," Sango broke in, "You should probably go wash her." 

"What!?!" 

"Go give her a bath," Shippo clarified. Inuyasha glared at him and the kit ducked back behind Sango. 

"You need to wash anyway," the taijiya stated mater-of-factly. "Just take her with you." 

"No!" 

"Why not?" 

"Washing pups is women's work!" 

"Then count yourself a woman for the day," Shippo retorted. 

"Brat! ..." 

"Just do it, Inuyasha. The sooner it gets done, the sooner it'll be over. She's _your_ child," Sango sighed as she started walking away again. 

The hanyou growled. "It's not _my_ child..." "If you wash her, Shippo and I will take care of dinner. If _we_ have to wash her, _we_ might not be able to make enough food for _everyone_." 

"Keh! Take it!" 

"And I'll tell Kagome not to bring you any more ramen!" Shippo threatened. Inuyasha glared at him. "I will, and hitting me on the head wont stop me!" 

"Hm, I'm sure Kagome-chan would be quite angry if she found out Inuyasha was being mean to her," Sango agreed. "Especially when she hears about how he just abandoned her in the woods where there could be dangerous youkai..." 

In his mind, Inuyasha could already hear the sits. _Damn it!_ "Keh! Fine! But your food had better be damn good!" He snagged the child by her collar and yanked her off him. "And if you tell anyone, I'll kill you!" He stomped off down the path towards the river. 

When he was out of sight and hearing range, Shippo leaped on to Sango's shoulder. The kit smiled devilishly and Sango winked. "See, Shippo-chan. Brains over brawn always wins."  


_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Houshi_ = priest 

_Inu_ = dog 

_Kimono_ = clothes. It use to refer to all clothes. Now it often used to talk about old clothes (or old patterned clothes). Kimonos are still worn today in Japan, but generally for formal occasions like weddings or a tea ceremony.   


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Bad Shippo. Bad bad Shippo. 

Sorry for the lack of a post last week. My internet was down all week and only came back Monday afternoon. Really sucks when you're trying to do a report and need the internet to do part of it. Grrrrrrr... 

If you watch some of Yahna's behavior, LeaMarie F. Rocket, you'll notice something interesting. It's something I've just recently noticed too. The more you reject her, the more clingy she becomes. Thanks Alana Hikari-Chan. That does help. FranceGamble, originals are cool. I write original stuff all the time. The trouble is getting people to read it. I've given up posting original stuff on-line since I almost never get any feedback on it. I'll be happy to read some of your stuff soon as I have a chance over winter break. 

I have a question for everyone. Does anyone know what that string Inuyasha wears across his chest is? Kikyo and Kaede wear them too, except their's are red And does anyone know if it can be removed? 

Well, can't think of anything else to say. As always, if I've translated something wrong or misspelled something, please let me know so I can fix it. Thanks for reading. 


	7. Baths and Beads

Inuyasha dropped the pup in front of the water. He pealed off his haori and glared at the mess she had made. "Damn brat," he grumbled to himself. The hanyou scowled at her. She sat up and stared at him with a interested expression. "Well, go on! Wash off!" 

She blinked and cocked her head to one side. "Otoo-sama?" 

"Go in the water!" he snapped as he pointed a claw at the water. 

Yahna blinked again, but stood. She toddled over to the water. One foot touched the water and she jerked back. Her body scrunched up and her body gave a shiver. 

"What!?! Is it too cold!?!" he sneered. "You should've thought of that before you went wallowing in the mud!" 

"Otoo-sama," she whimpered. Large azure eyes watered as they stared him with silent pleas. 

Inuyasha cringed. Seeing girls cry always made him nervous. Even if he didn't like them, he hated seeing them cry. It always made him feel like some sort of hideous monster. Worst of all, he usually didn't know how to make them stop. 

"Eh, your pathetic," the inu hanyou snorted in an effort to cover up the uneasy feeling crawling through his body. "Some great tree youkai pup you are. Can't even handle a little cold water." He stalked over and stuck his hand in the water then jerked it back out. It felt like he'd just shoved his hand in the snow. The hanyou frowned. _Damn that_ is _cold. Probably melted snow from the mountains..._ He sighed and stood up. "Fine. Have it your way. I'll be right back..." 

"Otoo-sama!" Yahna cried as she dashed after him. She leaped for his chest. This time he caught her before she could latch on. The little arms remained out stretched, hands clasping and unclasping, as she tried to reach him desperately. Little tears were already starting to stream out her eyes. 

"Just stay here. I'll be back... I promise, alright?" He looked her right in the eyes, hoping she would understand. She stared in to the golden irises for a few long moments before stopping her attempts to grab him. The child dragged one muddy hand across her face wiping her tears and Inuyasha cringed. He set her back down carefully so he didn't touch the mud. "Now stay here. I wont be long." He tossed his haori over her. "And stay under that." 

When she offered no protests, he took off. With several leaps, Inuyasha was back in the village. As quickly and quietly as he could, he rounded up three buckets and a piece of cloth. Then he leaped out of the village with out anyone seeing (or at least saying) anything. He was back at the bank of the river in less than five minutes. The first thing he did was lift his haori. Sure enough, there was Yahna with a delighted grin and sparkling eyes. He sighed and his features softened a little. 

"Alright, brat. I'll heat some water for you, but you'd better start doing as I say. Got that?" She nodded enthusiastically. "Good." 

It didn't take Inuyasha long to round up some wood and get a fire started. He filled the buckets full of water and set them by the fire to heat up. All the while, Yahna sat and watched him, still sitting under his haori. When he was done, he grabbed the haori and ran it through the river water several times, cleaning the mud off. After that was done he laid it over a bush near the fire to dry. 

His focus turned back to the pup. The hanyou held out a hand to Yahna. "Give me your clothes," he demanded, though not harshly. 

The girl wasted no time pulling off her haori and yukata. She smiled and handed them over. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and took them in to the water as well. It took a little work, but he got all the mud off and tossed them with his haori. 

When he came back, he held out his hand again. "The hakama now." Yahna nodded and went for the tie. She gave a tug on the bow, pulling it lose, but making a small knot. Her tiny fingers pulled at the knot. She frowned in obvious frustration when she couldn't get the. Inuyasha sighed. "Come here." She did so and he undid the knot. She pulled the clothing off and handed it over without a word. 

Inuyasha washed the last piece of her clothing and laid it over the bush. He pulled off his yukata and tossed it aside as well. Then the hanyou dropped down to sit cross legged in front of the fire. Yahna toddled over and peered at his face curiously. Inuyasha looked her over carefully, assessing the challenge. Her hands and feet were still covered in the drying mud and she had a few splotches on her face and hair, but the rest of her was clean. _At least cleaning her off wont be too hard,_ he mentally grumbled. 

The sun was just starting to set when he reached out one finger to test the water. She mimicked him. "Seems warm enough." He pulled the bucket closer to him, then grabbed the girl just under her arms and stood her up in the luke warm water coming just up to her knees. The cloth was snagged between his claws, shook off, and dipped in the water. 

Inuyasha grabbed one of her hands and roughly rubbed the cloth over it. She tried to jerk away from the harsh touch with a small whimper. He gripped her hand tighter. Yahna whimpered louder and leaned back a little. One hand shot out behind her to keep her from falling. 

"Careful!" he scolded. "I don't want them thinking I hurt you!" She steadied herself again, and he loosened his hold on her. The cloth was dragged over her hand again, but with less pressure and greater care. "Better?" he asked before thinking about it. She nodded. 

His golden eyes glanced down at the child's hand resting between his. Laid out flat, from her wrist to finger tips, her hand was barely as long as his shortest finger. They're so tiny, he thought curiously. In all honestly, he had never really taken the time to look at her... or any child, for that matter. Sure, he'd been through many towns with children and Shippo had been with them for a while now, but he'd never really stopped to actually take a good look at the kit. His eyes looked over the girl. She was so small all over, really. Both her feet could have probably fit in one hand. She was kind of chubby all around but not overly so. Every movement she made showed tiny muscles flexing under the baby fat. _Was I really this small once? Hard to believe now..._ One claw softly pushed a few stray locks of hair out of her eyes. She peered up at him curiously. _With such innocent eyes... With no knowledge of anger, hatred or pain... She could probably sit in the bucket without any trouble._

"Yahna, sit," he ordered. She crossed her legs and did, barely fitting. The water spilled over the side a little but neither paid any attention to it. He smirked. _Hm, no wonder Kagome likes that word so much. _

The cloth was dipped again and he rinsed off her other hand. Then he went for her face. The mud was eased off the soft skin. With each stroke, he studied the child's roundish face. There wasn't a mark on her, no signs of being attacked or starved. No black circles hung under her eyes from lack of sleep. No buried sorrow from constant taunts meant to break away at her very soul... no one to rob her of happiness because of her parentage... 

A faint purring rumble emanated from her throat., He softly smiled at the content pup. The azure eyes had dropped a little and were focused on his neck. He glanced down just as her tiny hands went for the beads around his neck. The cloth paused as he watched her hands. The little digits traced over each bead and claw carefully. She turned them over and back and tested the points on the claws. 

"It's a rosary," he explained. "Kaede put them on me shortly after I woke up. I can't take them off." Her eyes shifted to his face with a questioning look. "It's a curse. She put it on me so I wouldn't hurt Kagome and take the Shikon no tama." Yahna blinked. "Kagome had the jewel inside her. That's why she was pulled through the well and came here from her country. It's what lets her go back and forth between here and there." 

Her eyes focused back on the beads. "Otoo-sama..." 

"Why do you keep calling me that?" 

She gazed back up at him. "Otoo-sama Otoo-sama," she stated plainly, as if the answer were obvious. 

"Your not going to give me any more than that, are you?" Her eyes shifted back to the beads. He sighed and went back to washing her face. 

When the last of the mud had been rinsed off her face, he pulled another bucket over. "Dip your hair in the water." She stared at him in confusion. "Lean your head over so you hair is in this bucket's water," he explained as he pointed to the second bucket. Yahna turned towards the second bucket. She leaned over it, took a deep breath, and dunked her head. 

Inuyasha waited patiently for her to pull her head back up... and waited... and waited... 

The hanyou snatched some of her hair and yanked her head back up. "Don't drown yourself," he snorted. "Try just leaning your head back this time." She leaned against the bucket edge and dipped the back of her head in to the second bucket, submerging her hair. "Good. Now go like this." Her roughly ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up a bit. She started to sit back up. "With your hair still in the water." She blinked and lowered her dripping hair back down. "Now do it." She started to sit up again. He pushed her back down. "Run you fingers through your hair while your hair is still in the water." The girl ran her fingers through her hair, shaking lose some of the dirt but missing most of it. Inuyasha sighed and helped her. 

With her hair clean, he dragged the third bucket over. "Stand up." She stood. "Close your eyes and hold your breath." She obeyed. He lifted the third bucket and dumped the warm water over her. She sputtered as the last of it ran off and on to the ground. "There. Now your clean," he stated proudly. She beamed at him. 

A light breeze rustled the trees. Yahna shivered. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He lifted the girl out of the water and cradled her against him. "You are a pain, you know that?" 

She smiled gleefully and reached a finger up to touch his nose. "Otoo-sama." 

Inuyasha sighed. "Yes, yes, I know already." He reached for her clothes and found them still damp. She shivered and huddled closer to him. The hanyou let out another sigh and grabbed his dry yukata. He wrapped it around her, making it damp but keeping her warm. She giggled and snuggled down in it like a baby. A smile turned up the corners of his mouth, and he lifted her up a little higher against him. She nuzzled against him, rumbling happily. He emptied the last bucket, tossed their damp clothes in it, and grabbed the other two buckets, then started back towards the village.  


_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_yukata_ = shirt or undershirt   


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Alright, I should probably explain what I based some of Inuyasha observations on her. In the episode where we see a small glimpse of Inuyasha as a child (I think is was episode 5 or 6), he was mocked and insulted by the people there. In my mind, I don't think that was the first or last time people were mean to him as a child. I think that was just the first time he realized what they were saying and paid attention. Why? Because his mother was crying, suggesting, to me anyway, that this wasn't the first time. It probably got a lot worse, too. Since he was starting to become a little more aware of other people and their feelings towards him, this had a terrible impact on his life and helped make him who he is. To me it seemed logical that he would see a lack of these in Yahna. After all, at only one week of age, she has not been exposed to such hatred. All the people in the village actually like her a lot. They think she is holy since she was born from a holy tree. That seems to be enough for them to forget that she is technically a hanyou (at least in appearance). 

The string I was referring to, Almerane, in the last chapter was the one that comes from over his left shoulder, goes across his chest and ties in a bow there, and goes around behind his back on his right side. Mikos wear them, but their's go around their necks. If you watch the second episode, Kagome has it on when she's dressed like Kikyo. I'm curious if anyone knows what it is called and what it is for. Thanks for some help Heather. If anyone knows any more, that would be great. 

Also, if anyone can recommend a few good sights on Japanese culture, that would be wonderful. Most of what I'm using is based off what I have been learning in my Japanese popular culture class. The only problem is that most of it is dealing with very modern things (such as new music and anime). I've only had a few things here and there that have been about old customs that have endured over long periods of time. 

Thanks to everyone so far who has been helping. It is very helpful, especially when trying to get some of this fic to reflect actual attitudes and ideas of the time period. As always, please review. 


	8. Chopsticks

Inside Kaede's small home, the cooking fire was going, heating the hut nicely. A pot full of boiling stew hung over the flame, filling the room with the pleasant smell of an herbs. Some of Kagome's things were in the corner along with a few of the group's weapons. Probably the thing Inuyasha liked best about the room, though, was that only a sleeping Kirara was present. Everyone else had gone off somewhere. 

The hanyou laid the the sleeping Yahna down in front of the fire with the same care one would show a porcelain doll. She was still wrapped up in his yukata, snuggled up like a baby. He brushed a little of her damp silver hair out of her face and smiled as he admired the child's angelic face. There was a content smile on her chubby face. She stirred slightly and curled up even tighter. Inuyasha smiled and traced a finger down her soft, rounded dog ears. She gave a small whimper and curled into his hand. _Your not so bad when your like this._

"Ah, Inuyasha-" Inuyasha jerked away from the child with enough speed to put a cheetah to shame. "-We were starting to wonder where you were." 

The hanyou shot a glare at Miroku and Shippo, who were just walking in. "What do you want, bouzu?" he growled. 

"We were just wondering if Yahna-chan was alright! We were beginning to think you'd killed her and were trying to bury her body where we couldn't find it," Shippo snorted. His eyes instantly fell on the sleeping girl wrapped up in his yukata. 

"Keh! Waste of energy," Inuyasha responded. 

Shippo bounced over to the girl and kneeled in front of her. He watched her face for a long moment, then shot Inuyasha a glare. "You didn't hit her, did you?!" 

"At least a hundred times before it finally stopped moving," the hanyou retorted. 

"What!?! You bastard...!!!" 

"He's not serious, Shippo. If he'd hit her, she would posses some sort of marks or bruises from it." 

Shippo continued to glare at the older white haired hanyou as he sat next to his imoto. "You won't hit Yahna-chan." 

"Are you volunteering to take its beating for it?" Inuyasha grinned maliciously and raised a fist. Shippo suddenly looked panicked. "She's been a real pain and I owe her a few good smacks..." The kit let out a terrified wail and bolted for the door. He was gone in a second, leaving a smirking hanyou and a disappointed monk inside. "Keh, brat..." 

"Mmmmnnahannmm," the pup whined. "Otoo-sama?" 

Inuyasha whirled back toward her with a groan. "Damn brat. Just had to wake it up, didn't you?" He sighed and crawled over next to her. "Fine. If your awake, give me back my yukata." 

The child opened her eyes part way and stared at him tiredly. Her arms stretched up towards him with splayed out fingers. "Otoo-sama." 

Inuyasha snorted and looked away. 

"She wants you to pick her up again," Miroku stated as he sat across the fire. 

"Picking up children is women's work." 

"Where exactly did you learn that?" 

"Keh." 

"I'm afraid that isn't good enough." The monk paused and waited for Inuyasha to respond. Inuyasha offered none. Yahna, meanwhile, rolled to her front and crawled out of the cloth. "There are plenty of men who care for children. They are called otoo-san by those children." 

"I'm not its otoo-sama." 

Yahna stood up completely bare of clothing and stumbled over to Inuyasha. "Otoo-sama?" she asked as she peered up at his face. 

"She seems to think otherwise." 

"_It_ doesn't even think. It's just some walking, talking plant pup. Nothing more." 

The child in question tried to climb up on his lap. Inuyasha shoved her back. He stood before she had a chance to try again. The yukata was snagged and roughly put back on. He plucked her damp clothes lose from his and dropped them on her. 

"Get dressed," Inuyasha ordered without looking at her. 

Sango and Kaede came walking in with several gutted and cleaned fish in a bowl carried by the taijiya. Their eyes immediately turned to the moving heap of clothes on the floor next to Inuyasha. Yahna peeked her head out with a rather confused expression. The two women sighed. At least she was clean. Sango passed the fish to Kaede and sat down with the child to help her detangle the clothes and get them on. With a little help, Yahna managed to dress herself. 

When she was dressed, the girl plopped in front of the fire and watched Kaede butcher the fish and add it to the stew. Her eyes followed every one one of the miko's movements. When the last of the fish had been dropped in, the girl stood up and peered in to the pot. 

"It'll be ready soon," the old woman explained. 

"Houshi-sama!" Whack! Yahna spun around just in time to see Hiriakosu smash down on Miroku's head. The child flinched as the monk moaned. 

Inuyasha chuckled. Kaede sighed. Yahna blinked curiously at their reactions. She toddled across the room to her otoo-sama and tugged on his hakama. "Otoo-sama?" She held up her arms. 

"I'm not picking you up," he sneered without looking at her. 

Yahna frowned. He wouldn't pick her up? Fine. She had other ways of getting up there. 

The girl crouched down and carefully angled her body. She stuck her bottom up in the air and wiggled it, looking very much like an inexperienced puppy, as she prepared to pounce. The child sprang in the air, heading straight for his face. Inuyasha started and grabbed her just before she could hit her target. She was a few inches from his face and reached out one hand. Her little pointer finger poked his nose. "Otoo-sama," she stated plainly. Inuyasha growled. She smiled and clapped her hands. "Otoo-sama." 

Everyone else in the room stared at her in confusion. Most creatures backed off when the inu hanyou growled. Why was she so pleased about it? 

"Damn brat," Inuyasha sighed and dropped her. She landed on her feet with no sign of injury. She snuggled up to his leg with a giddy smile. Inuyasha glared at her. _Empty. Yes, definitely empty. Pup hasn't got a speck of knowledge or sense in that head of its._

Dinner was ready a few minutes later. The scent of food brought Shippo back from hiding. The kit sat far away from Inuyasha, dragging Yahna with him. He glared at the hanyou but said nothing. Everyone was given a bowl of rice and some stew. Yahna gulped down the stew eagerly and begged for more with a few pathetic whimpers. Inuyasha looked at the child with a raised eye brow. 

"Eat your rice first," Shippo scolded her. "Then you can beg for more if you want." Yahna glanced back at him, shrugged, and continued to beg. 

"Oi! You heard the runt, pup," Inuyasha added as he shot her a glare. "You eat what you have and be happy with it, you little pig." 

Shippo grabbed her untouched chopsticks and held them under the girl's nose. Yahna stopped begging and blinked at them. Showing a surprising amount of patience, Shippo kept holding the chopsticks to her until she gave up and took them. 

"Watch how your onii-san does it, okay," the kit stated. He took his first chopstick and held it so it rested between his index finger and thumb and was supported by the other three fingers. "You hold the first one like this. Now do it." 

She nodded and placed one chopstick in her lap. The second chopstick was carefully placed in her right hand in just the position he had showed her with help form the left hand. 

"Good. Now, you take the other one and hold it like this." He pinched the second stick of wood between his thumb and index finger with the index finger on top and the thumb to one side. 

Again, the tree child nodded. She tried to grip it but the stick slipped from her fingers. The second time, both chopsticks fell out of her grasp. Her third try was a repeat of the first. Shippo sighed and took hold of her hand. He gently placed the two sticks in her fingers so they looked right. 

"There," he stated. "Now try eating the rice." 

Yahna dropped her chopsticks and grabbed her bowl of rice with both hands. 

Shippo slapped a hand to his forehead while the adults chuckled. "No! With the chopsticks!" Yahna stared at him, thoroughly confused. He snatched the forgotten chopsticks and handed them back to her. "Eat the rice _with_ the chopsticks," he grated out. 

She set the bowl down and grabbed the chop sticks. The tip of one was placed in her mouth and she bit it. She gaged and spit out a small piece of wood. The tip of the chopstick had been broken off. 

"No, use the chopsticks to eat the rice," the kit sighed in frustration. She fiddled with them for a moment before managing to get them placed right in her hand so they didn't fall out. "NOW try eating the rice." Yahna dropped the chopsticks again and grabbed the bowl. Shippo was about ready to scream. The adults were struggling not to laugh. "She's doing this on purpose," the kit groaned. "She must be." 

Yahna was about to touch the rice with her hands when Inuyasha growled. She stopped and looked at him curiously. "Don't touch food with your hands," the older hanyou scowled. "They're filthy." 

"You eat using the chopsticks," Shippo sighed as he held the chopsticks back to her. He took his own, grabbed his own half eaten bowl of rice, and picked up some with the two pieces of wood. "Like this." 

The tree pup blinked in response. She shrugged and picked up the chopsticks. After several fumbles, she managed to grip them with one hand and cradled the bowl of rice on her lap. She poked the rice with the ends of her chopsticks, earning a few more chuckles and another sigh. 

"No, you do it like this!" Shippo showed her how to open and close them. She tried to mimic his movements. Her little fingers put too much pressure on the chopsticks and the rice squeezed out between them. 

"Not so hard," Inuyasha sighed. "Don't squeeze them so hard or you wont get anything up." 

Miroku leaned closer to Sango, whispering, "I don't know which is funnier: the fact that Shippo is teaching her how to eat or that Inuyasha is teacher her how not to eat." She chuckled in response. 

The two suddenly felt two pair of bitter youkai eyes on them. The chuckling stopped. Miroku smiled rather innocently and Sango turned her eyes down to her food. 

Several failed attempts later, Yahna finally managed to get a few grains of rice in her mouth. By that time, everyone had already finished and the dishes were being cleaned. Just as she got a second bite in, Inuyasha grabbed the bowl from her. 

"Dinner's over," he scoffed. "You're done." Yahna's eyes watered as she sucked on the end of her chopsticks. She stared at him miserably and let out a small whimper. 

Sango grabbed the bowl back. "She's not even done. Besides, she needs to practice using chopsticks and this is the best way to do it." 

The hanyou growled and snagged the bowl back. "Then she'll learn to be faster for next time." 

"She can't learn without practice," the young woman scolded, taking the bowl back. She quickly handed it to the delighted child before Inuyasha had a chance to take it back. "I'll wash her bowl. We wouldn't want the _mighty_ Inuyasha to stoop so low as to do women's work," she sneered venomously. 

"Keh!" he grunted in response and took a seat against the wall. 

Bit by bit, Yahna managed to feed herself, getting a little better each time she did it. When she was done, Sango, true to her word, washed the child's bowl without a word of complaint. Yahna rubbed her full belly contentedly as she sat contentedly in front of the fire. Shippo sat next to her, glaring at the still sulking hanyou. No one was hurting his imoto, especially not that 'jerk' Inuyasha. 

There was a tug on the kit's sleeve. "Shippo-chan?" Yahna asked. He turned and looked at her curiously. She yawned and snuggled up against the front of him. The kit blushed furiously. _What am I suppose to do?_ he thought in a panic. His eyes quickly darted to the adults around the room, seeking any advice. Sango tried to hide a giggle. Miroku pretended to meditate. Kaede was laying out bedding. And Inuyasha... 

"Keh!" 

Shippo turned up his nose stubbornly. "Oh, your just jealous," he snorted at the hanyou. 

"Jealous?! Of you?! And why would _I_ be jealous of _you_, runt?!" Inuyasha grunted. 

"Because Yahna-chan likes me better," the kit retorted as he wrapped his arms around the girl starting to drift off to sleep. 

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow. "Keh! You can have the filthy brat! The more it's away from me, the better!" 

"Do you need some help, Kaede-sama?" Sango asked as she reached for the blankets the old miko was getting out. 

"Mm, yes, thank you," Kaede responded. 

Yahna's ears twitched. She lifted her head and yawned. Shippo stood and gave the child a pat on the head. "I think Yahna-chan is ready for bed..." He fought back a yawn himself. 

"Looks like she isn't the only one," Sango teased. 

The kitsune grabbed Yahna's hand and pulled her too her feet. "Come on, Yahna-chan. You can sleep with me tonight." 

Yahna yawned again as she was pulled towards the blankets. Her ears twitched again and she sniffed the air. The azure eyes were suddenly wide awake. They darted around the room as she sniffed the air. In a single bound she was across the room and crouched in front of Kagome's sleeping bag. The adolescent girl rarely took that home since she mainly used it here. Yahna sniffed it and looked around again. She seemed to be quite perplexed. The child trotted to the door flap and peered outside. She sniffed the air several times as her eyes scanned the darkness. 

Shippo looked to Kaede for some sort of answer. The old woman seemed just as confused as he was. Sango and Miroku watched with the same curious stare as Shippo. Even Inuyasha was interested in her odd behavior. 

"Yahna-chan, is something wrong?" Sango asked as she stepped over to the child. 

Yahna turned her gaze back inside and looked ready to cry. 

In the blink of an eye, Shippo was right by her side shooting a glare at Inuyasha. "What did you do to her?!" 

"Nothing!" Inuyasha snapped. "I've been sitting her the entire time!" 

A few tears escaped Yahna's eyes. Her bottom lip trembled and the little white ears drooped. 

"What's the matter?" the taijiya asked gently. Yahna pointed a finger at the sleeping bag. "Huh? Oh, you mean Kagome-chan?" 

"She's not here," Shippo explained. The tears got bigger and started to spill out faster. Now starting to panic slightly, the kit hastily added, "She'll be back in a couple days." 

Yahna flopped on the floor. "Okaa-sama!!!" she wailed.

_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Okaa_ = mother 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Shame ear plugs hadn't been invented in the 1500's in Japan. They're gonna need them. 

Small fact, for those who are curious, very young children (5 years and younger) generally can't multi task very well if at all. They focus on one detail and stick with that detail until reminded of another, in which case they will switch tasks. Yahna is equivalent to a 1 1/2 to a 2 year old child in mind, but a 4 to 5 year old in body. It will take a while for her mind to fully catch up with her body. 

Anyone know any Chinese names that mean innocence or purity? Girl names, preferably. Also, anyone know any good sights with Chinese words? I only know a tiny bit of Chinese. Yes, this is for this fic for a little later on. 

Well, I'm off to go pack for winter break. Hope you all are enjoying this fic so far. 


	9. Okaasama?

Everyone covered their ears as Yahna let out a piercing cry. "Okaa-sama! Okaa-sama! Okaa-samaaaaaaa!" With each word, her voice got louder and louder. Ears were drawn back, nose to sky, and a bucket of tears made this child look the very image of anguish. 

"Shut it up!" Inuyasha amazingly roared over the child. Pain shot through his ears and straight to his brain. They were flattened against the side of his head and covered in an attempt to keep out the screeching. 

"How!?!" Sango demanded. 

"Yahna-chan, please stop crying," Shippo begged. She ignored him and continued to wail at the top of her lungs. 

"Try picking her up!" Miroku yelled, hoping that might be helpful. 

Sango quickly took his advice and lifted the child into her arms. "Hush. Hush, little one. It's alright," she cooed gently in the child's ear. Yahna flailed her arms and legs wildly, continuing her ear splitting cry. Sango winced as she held the child closer. "Please, Yahna-chan, calm down. It's alright. Nothing bad happened to her. Kagome-chan will be back soon. I promise. Just please stop crying." 

_This looks like a job for her onii-san,_ Shippo thought confidently. He placed a leaf on his head and concentrated on Kagome. A puff of smoke surrounded him. Seconds later, in the kit's place stood a perfect copy of the japanese school girl. She winked at Sango as the woman's face lit up. 

The fake Kagome held out her arms and smiled sweetly. "Please stop crying, Yahna-chan." The tree pup abruptly stopped wailing and moving. Her gaze turned to the fake Kagome. She looked the copy over carefully with tear filled eyes. "See? Everything is alright." 

Yahna leaned out and gave Kagome a sniff. She suddenly burst back out into tears. 

"Baka!" Inuyasha snapped. "It can smell it's you!" 

"Well it was worth a try!" Miroku retorted. 

A puff of smoke appeared around the copy woman, then disappeared and was replaced by Shippo holding a leaf. "At least I tried something! You're not doing anything!" 

"Give it here! I'll snap its neck! That'll shut it up!" the hanyou barked while brandishing a fist. 

"NO!!!" everyone else cried as Sango backed away from him. 

"It'll be quick and painless! Hand it over!" 

"You will not kill my imooto!" Shippo hissed. 

"I agree," Kaede added. "You will not kill Yahna!" 

"Either shut it up or I will!" Inuyasha growled. 

Shippo squeaked and quickly tried to think of ways to make her quiet. He raked his brain, searching for anything that might make her feel better. Otoo-san used to make funny faces when I'd cry. 

"Yahna-chan, look at me!" She gazed down at him. The kit stuck a finger in to the corners of his mouth, stuck out his tongue, and crossed his eyes. "Blah!" 

Yahna cried louder. 

Miroku held out his arms. "Here. Let me try." More than happy to be rid of the screaming, squirming toddler, Sango turned her over. The monk cradled the child against his chest like one would hold a baby and began to hum. Her cries started to lessen slowly. The little triangle ears twitched and turned more towards his body. Miroku hummed a little softer and she worked down into weak sniffles. Everyone stared in amazement. 

"Houshi-sama, I'm impressed," Sango commented as she moved closer to peer at Yahna's face. The child was still crying, but she was much calmer now. "Where did you learn to do that?" 

"I've taken care of children before. I know how to care for them... even one who's throwing a fit." 

"Yeah, but... wow..." Shippo trailed off as he approached the sniffling girl. 

"I intend on having a child. Did you think I wouldn't at least learn how to care for a child before I sired any?" 

"Scary enough, that actually makes sense," Sango commented dryly. Miroku gave her a wounded look. "Yes, well, she has stopped screaming. It is a start." 

Inuyasha was still crouched against the wall glaring at them. Golden eyes focused on the child, attempting to will the pup to disappear. A painful ringing rattled his ear drums, giving him a pounding head ache. Damn tree pup! How dare it interrupt my peace! Yahna met his gaze and held her arms out to him. Inuyasha glared harder. If it thinks I'm holding it, it has another thing coming. 

"Otoo-sama," the pup whimpered. Inuyasha growled in response. New tears brewed up in her eyes. He humphed and turned away from her. "Oooootooooo-saaammmmaaaa..." 

"I am not your otoo-sama, you god damned, worthless, disgusting tree pup," he snorted. New found tears flowed freely from Yahna's eyes as she took a deep breath.  


On the other side of the village, the people were jerked out their sleep by a blood curdling wail. Young children started crying. Their mothers grabbed them, holding them close in the hopes of easing their fears. Men went for anything sharp in their homes, fearing a horrible youkai was coming for them.  


Five hundred years in the further, on the other side of the well, Kagome had paused in studying and peered out the window. No one was there. Odd, she could have sworn she heard someone faintly crying...   


*****  


Sango messaged her temples. A constant thumping against the sides of her brain kept pace with the beating of her heart, reminding her with each thump of the awful night. She sat outside of Kaede's hut, hoping to clear her head and get rid of the faint ringing in her ears. So far, it wasn't working. 

"Tea?" Miroku's strained voice offered as he held out a cup. "It has some herbs to help with headaches." 

She nodded, grateful. "Arigato, Houshi-sama." The woman took a long sip, savoring the slightly bitter taste and it's calming smell. "If I ever have children, please kill me." 

An amused smile appeared on the monk's face. "I make no promises." 

Both eyes traveled over to the cause of all their problems. Yahna sat with Shippo at the base of a tree where Inuyasha was perched. She was still sniffling, but it was quiet so no one was complaining. 

Several exhausted villagers were also watching her as they passed. No one in the entire village had gotten any sleep because of the child. They had shown up at Kaede's door carrying a verity of sharp farming tools a few minutes after Yahna had started crying. When it had become obvious she wasn't going to calm down and go back to sleep, many of the villagers tried to help soothe the child. But all the girl had wanted was her 'okaa-sama' and no one else would do. In the end, everyone had been left exhausted and full of pity for the child. 

"How could she keep that up _all _night?" 

"I know what you mean. My ears are still ringing. I think I'm going to start praying for all my daughters to be born mute," the young monk joked. 

A small chuckle from the taijiya made Miroku smile. "I think we'd be better off praying for _her_ to go mute. How can she still be crying and _not_ rupture a lung?" 

"Children have the unique ability to cry like there's no tomorrow and still be perfectly fine afterwards." 

"You have experience with this?" 

He sighed and took a sip of his tea. "Yes. A little boy who was attacked by a youkai saw me use my kazaana and thought I was another youkai. He screamed the entire time I was in the village and no one could make him stop until I was gone... at least I think he stopped after I left. I was well out of the village before his voice no longer reached me." 

She snipped her tea. "I can only recall one time in my life when I cried that much." Miroku raised a curious eye brow, urging her to continue. "When my mother died, I cried for days. My cries weren't like that, though. It was off and on and I was quiet about it." Her dark chocolate eyes traveled up the tree to the pouting Inuyasha. _I wonder if he cried like that after his mother died?_

"I hate to say it, but I fear Kagome-sama may be the only one who can stop her crying." 

"Which means Inuyasha has to go get her back. ... She's not going to like this." 

Miroku nodded in agreement. Both sipped their tea. It was going to be a long day.  
  


___________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Arigato_ = thank you   


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


Yeah, new chapter done and up! Sorry for the wait. I'm currently staying with family and my computer's not with me. I have to share it with several other people, most of whom need it to do actual work on. 

All the corrections you mention, Amakara, have to wait until I get back to my computer since all the html files are saved there. It's much easier to wait then to recreat several html files on a new computer (it's not hard, just takes a while). Thanks, though. I'm already correcting the stuff I sent to myself. I wasn't really sure how imooto was pronounced since I can't recall ever hearing it. Thanks for also helping with the string thing too. I'm going to look up a little more about it now that I know what it's called. 

DiaBLo2, thanks a lot. That really helps. All the sites I've found that list names (usually for babies) don't let you search by meaning and and only a small few actually let you search by language. Since you speak chinese, could I possible contact you later and ask for a few more words to be translated? 

LadyCatBailey, of course you're sane. We're _all_ sane... *chuckles* Just kidding. Your review gave me a good laugh, though. 

You wonder what I have planned for Inuyasha, Breshcandra? Well, let's put it this way. Any time I say "I'm feeling creative", Inuyasha trembles. In fact, all my characters tremble. 

Well, that's all for now. I have my Slayers fic to edit so I can update it on Friday. I'm finally getting past the part I'm bored with. Yay! Interesting note for anyone who's curious. When I wrote my first fanfic, I was thrilled when I got up to 20 reviews by the last chapter. I thought that was really cool. I currently have over 100 on this one and is currently 3 chapters shorter than my first fic. Wow. 

Well, Yahna-chan's been crying a lot, so she's gonna take a nap for a little while. That way she can cry louder later. Mmmm... nap... that sounds good... 


	10. Get over it, already!

"Otoo-sama," she whined for the hundredth time since the sun had come up. 

He didn't bother to glance down. "Keh! You want something, brat, you got to come up here," he snorted in response. 

Shippo shot the hanyou a glare. Inuyasha was hardly being reasonable. Yahna was technically a baby, after all. How could the dumb inu be so cruel? _It's not like she's poisonous or anything! She just misses Kagome! That jerk!_ The kitsune let out a sigh as he folded his arms together. _I miss her too. She should just stay here. Then everyone would be happy._ Yahna sniffled again and more tears spilled form her eyes. Inuyasha grunted coldly. _Inuyasha shouldn't be such a jerk, either! He's always nicer when Kagome's around..._

Emerald eyes fell on Yahna's miserable form. With his tiny hands, he gently brushed a few tears from her cheeks. How she could still being crying like this without any sleep was something not even he was sure of. 

Seeing her like this made the kitsune feel terrible. It reminded him so much of himself... his parents. He had been playing, been happy. Then he turned around and they were gone. Just like that. His parents hadn't even been given the time to fight back or run. 

_Onii are suppose to make their imooto happy, not sit by and watch them cry. But there's nothing I can do. She just wants Kagome back... or that jerk to hold her... **I** want Kagome back..._

"Otoo-sama." 

"You want me, come get me," Inuyasha snorted as he laid on his back, ignoring them. 

Shippo's eyes traveled up to the said hanyou. _Hm, then again, maybe there is something I can do..._ He smiled softly and gave the girl a pat on the head. She blinked curiously, halting her sniffles for a moment. A leaf was pulled out from his vest and placed on his head. 

Inuyasha let out another sigh. _Damn it! When did Kagome say she was coming back again? I don't think I could take another night of that._ His ear twitched, sending pain through his brain. He could have sworn they started bleeding last night even if everyone else insisted they hadn't. His brain was still pounding against his skull. _Damn tree brat._

"Otoo-sama," the child whined yet again. 

"I said..." He started to sit up and cut off as he found himself staring right at the child in question on his branch. 

She started to move towards him. Inuyasha jerked back, losing his balance. He tumbled down but managed to land easily on his feet. 

Just as he was turning around and was about to yell at her, Yahna latched on to the front of him. He stared in horror at the girl. How had she gotten down so fast? He looked back up in the tree and saw Shippo sitting up there with a big grin on his face. _Oh yeah. The brat is gonna get it... and this time he's **not** going to hide down Sango's kimono..._

"Otooooo-sammaaaaa," Yahna whimpered as she snuggled in to him. 

His golden eyes traveled back down to her, ready to scream and rip her off... then stopped. 

Salty tears spilled out her eyes as she stared at him. The skin just under her eyes was swollen and purple. The rest of her face was flushed with exhaustion. Pink little lips trembled as she struggled to stop crying and hold on at the same time. Her little hands gripped the fabric so hard, her fists had turned white. The rest of her body was limp and weak. From the way she panted, it seemed like even breathing was a chore for her. 

Inuyasha gulped. He knew that look.... all to well. That fear of being alone and unloved. The misery that came with the lose... 

A deep sigh escaped the hanyou. He wrapped his arms around the girl and leaped in to the trees. Shippo watched in confusion, but didn't complain. If he was going to make Yahna feel better, that was fine with him. 

It only took a few moments for him to reach his chosen destination. Inuyasha landed easily in the small clearing around the bone eater's well and plopped down against the side. His hold on the girl loosened, and the girl slid down to his lap. She snuggled in to his stomach, tears still freely flowing. One clawed hand gently reached behind her head and brushed down her hair in a comforting manner his okaa-san use to do when he was upset. Yahna snuggled closer and squinted her eyes tightly shut. 

"Hush, pup," the hanyou whispered in a soft he rarely used with anyone. "It's alright. She's not gone for good. She'll be back." Tears leaked from her eyes. "She always comes back," he tried to assure her. 

He slipped his hands under her arms and started to lift her. An audible whine escaped her. She gripped the front of his hario so tight had it been made of regular cloth, her claws would have ripped it. 

"I'm not pushing you away," he insisted gently. "I just want to show you something." 

Her eyes opened and blinked several times to clear away the salty liquid. She studied him carefully, focusing intently on his golden eyes. Azure orbs seem to dig right through his body, hunting for his soul. He squirmed under her gaze and looked away. 

Then, her grip loosened and went completely slack. He grabbed her by the waist of her hakama and lifted her over the darkness of the enchanted well. 

The pup's sensitive nose suddenly twitched. The rounded white ears stood up and faced fully towards the bottom. Her whole body tensed. She was near... so close... 

Yahna squirmed against his hold frantically. Kagome was there. She had to be. Her scent was so strong. 

Inuyasha kept a firm grip on her so she didn't fall... though he did debate dropping her in and leaving her there for a moment. 

"Okaa-sama!" she cried out desperately. 

No, he couldn't drop her. Not when she missed Kagome so much. "She's not in there. This is just where she comes from. There's a magic thing in there that let's her and me go through to each other's worlds. No one else can so don't even try jumping down there. You do, I'm not pulling you out, pup," he ended harshly. 

Inuyasha pulled her back up so she was leaning against his chest. "I know you want her back. Everyone does." He let out a deep sigh. "She just doesn't understand this is where she belongs... not at some stupid thing called 'school'... where she talks with idiot human boys. Damn it! If she'd just stay here, we'd have the shards and Naraku would be dead already!" he growled fiercely. 

A low pitched purr rumbled out of Yahna as she bared her tiny, razor sharp teeth. She scruntched up closer to him and snuggled against his chest. Inuyasha blinked. An inu doesn't purr, so what... She stopped and peered up at his face innocently. Realization suddenly hit him and he fought back a smirk. 

"Keh," he grunted. "Ya gotta growl louder than that if you want to scare anyone besides Shippo." 

"Keh," she grunted back and shoved her hands in her sleeves. Inuyasha couldn't fight the smirk any longer and broke out in to a proud grin. He nuzzled his nose against hers. She nuzzled right back, letting out a contented rumble... though it sounded more like a purr. _At least it stopped crying._   


*****  


"Ooookkkaaaaaaa-ssssaaaammmmaaa!!!" Yahna wailed. 

"Not again!" Inuyasha wailed louder. 

Everyone covered their ears as Yahna burst in to tears for the third night in a row. She had kept it up almost non-stop for two days and nights straight and seemed fine with making it three. In near by houses, several people moaned as they prepared for another night of ear piercing screaming and crying. 

"Shut up or I'm shoving you back in that tree!" the hanyou threatened. 

"Shut her up or _I'm_ shoving her back in the tree," Sango threatened back. One night without any sleep she could deal with. Two nights? That was pushing it. Three? Nope. The child either had to be quiet or she would make it be quiet. One could only put up with so much... 

Desperate, Miroku reached around and grabbed her. His left hand clamped over her mouth, muffling the sound. "Ya know, I could just put a seal on her mouth. That would keep her quiet," the monk offered. 

"No!" Shippo protested. "Those things hurt and I'm not letting you hurt my imooto! They'd just make her cry louder, anyway!" 

"I agree," Kaede sighed. "Inuyasha, take her out of the village." 

"What!?!" the hanyou cried. "No way! You do it!" 

"She's your child! You should be the one taking care of her!" Sango snapped. Kirara mewed in agreement. "So far, all of us have been doing all the work! All you've done is give her a single bath!" 

Inuyasha glanced at their nodding faces fearfully. "No! It's not my pup!" 

"Well she thinks she is," Kaede retorted. "That is enough at the moment." 

The child in question was squirming madly to break free of the monk's hold. While she put up a good fight, more than a normal person could put up with, she wasn't near strong enough to get out of his hold. 

"I don't want it!" 

"We don't care!" everyone shouted at once. 

"The villagers need sleep," the old miko continued. "They adore Yahna, but they do need to sleep. So long as she is not going to, she needs to be outside the village for the night. Take her and go." 

The dog hanyou growled. He ripped the child from Miroku's arms and carried her out the door by the front of her hario. "God damned evil tree making a god damned little brat. God damned villagers..." 

Inuyasha leaped out of the village and was a decent distance away in less than a minute. When he was out of sight of the village, he lifted her higher up in to his arms so she didn't wiggle so much. His ears were flipped back from the pain of her wails. This was really getting annoying. Hell, this was beyond annoying. Each wail made him regret his decision to not kill her. 

Once he found a perch in one of his favorite trees, he lifted her up so she was able to look easily in his eyes. "Oi, pup! Stop crying or I'm leaving you out here to starve!" Yahna continued to cry. "Damn it, just stop crying! Go to sleep like a normal child!" She made no attempts to stop crying. "Last warning, brat: shut up or I'm dropping you at the bottom of the well and leaving you there!" Yahna cried louder. "Alright! You asked for it!" 

He leaped to the well and held her over it by the back of her hakama. "Stop or I let go," he stated in a serious tone. 

The child cried harder. In fact, she seemed to have gotten just a little louder too. How she get her voice that high, we will never know. 

"That's it!" he roared. 

He was just about to let go, when inspiration struck. (Twice in one chapter. He's on a roll.) _She may not be able to go through the well, but I could always drag Kagome back... and she can't sit me for it since Yahna's the one who sent me to get her._ The hanyou grinned evilly. _Alright, worst possible outcome: it's trapped at the bottom of the well, I get sat, Kagome stays in her time, I stay in her time, and get some sleep. Best outcome: Kagome comes back, it stops crying, I don't get sat, and everyone is happy._

"Alright pup," he stated confidently, "You want Kagome, I'll get you Kagome." He leaped in to the well. The familiar power washed over him as everything around him turned a dark shade of blue mixed with black. Her voice was drowned out and for the first time in two days and nights, it was quiet around him.  


_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

nothing... awwww, how sad.  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Ten chapters and still going strong. *cheers* Man, her lungs have to made of iron. That's my conclusion, anyway. Fixed a few things before in earlier chapters. I have my own computer back. Yay! I love Fred. Yes, my computer is named Fred. Why do you ask? 

Note on Shippo's past. It has never been fully explained exactly how his parents died. All that has been said is his father had a shikon shard and was killed by the Thunder Brothers. Given that they had several shards already, I imagine it was probably a pretty quick fight. This is just my interpretation, though. Given that the Thunder Brothers didn't recognize him right off, I don't think was in their direct line of sight when it happened. They may not have known he was there at all. I decided he would probably have been playing when it happened. That was why I put it in, if anyone was curious. 

Nightswift, good question. No one is sure exactly what the tree did. Sure, I know, but that would ruin the rest of the story. 

DiaBLo2, I'll contact you soon as I have a full list of words they'll be using. So far I only know a small list of them (a few threats, mother, and demon for certian). The rest I'll know soon as I start writing them into the story. 

Acacia Jules, you are right on two counts. Inuyasha does have a lot of walls around his feelings. Think about how he treats Kagome in the beginning of the series. Heck, up to episode 90, he still does have those walls. Of course, Kagome is breaking through those walls bit by bit. Inuyasha was Shippo's primary caretaker for a short while when Kagome was gone. My take on Inuyasha and Shippo's relationship is that they are kind of like brothers. Inuyasha is the bulling, angry older brother. Shippo is the annoying, sometimes real bratty, little brother. They fight, but when and where it matters, they get along. 

Real work, major-inu-lover. Well, so far, my fanfics don't pay for my college and if they ever did, I'd be in trouble. Yes, writing is work, especially fanfics if you want the characters to act in character. However, I do this for fun. This is mainly because the idea is in my head and wont leave until I get it out. (You should hear my Yimahtai series which started as a Gargoyles fanfic oh so many years ago when Gargoyles was still new.) What I meant by real work was stuff that people have to get done so they can survive in this world. For example, my novels get priority over fanfics since I intend on publishing them (hopefully getting the first one accepted this summer). 

Well, I'm off. Have new classes to worry about, a club run, and characters to go torture. Hope you're all enjoying it so far. Next chapter, Kagome hears the dreaded word "okaa-sama" and the rest of her family gets to learn about Yahna-chan. Tell then... 


	11. It's yours now! You deal with it!

A deep sigh escaped the inu hanyou. It was quiet. Not completely quiet, as Kagome's time never was, but there wasn't a screaming child. _Finally some peace an..._

"Otoo-sama?" 

Inuyasha froze. Slowly, his golden eyes traveled down to see a small child sitting at his feet. Bright azure eyes looked around in wonderment. Her nose twitched as it picked up strange new scents... then sneezed from the strange stench in the air. Her eyes traveled up to him expectantly. 

The hanyou just about fell over dead. She had passed through!?! The damn tree pup had passed through!?! 

"How the hell did you get through!?!" She looked at him, tilted her head to one side, and blinked. "Oh, right, you don't talk. Never mind. Doesn't matter. You're Kagome's problem now." He grabbed her by the back of her hakama. "Now where is she..."   


~~~~  


"Yuki told me a new joke today," Souta stated rather proudly. His mother smiled and nodded for him to continue as she took another bite of her rice. "Alright, knock knock." 

"Who's there?" Kagome asked as she reached for some of the pickles. 

"A..." 

The door to the dinning room was slammed open. The Higurashi family all turned to stare at the intruder. 

"Okaa-sama!" Yahna cried as she leaped into Kagome's lab and latched on to the front of the girl. 

Kagome nearly choked on the pickle she's been eating. Hesitantly, she peered down at the child. 

"Okaa-sama! Okaa-sama! Okaa-sama!" the child purred as she snuggled in to Kagome's stomach. 

"Caring for pups is women's work! It's yours now! You deal with it!" Inuyasha snapped. 

"O-Ok-k-kaa-s-sama?" Kagome studdered. 

"Nee-chan...?" 

"It's not what you think!" The girl suddenly blurted out. "I swear it's not!" Her gaze turned to Inuyasha. "Why is she...? When...? What...? I...? How did she get through the well?!" 

"I don't know and I don't care! It's been crying for three days straight and everyone is sick of it! And no one will let me drown the filthy brat! Now you deal with it! I don't wanna see it anymore!" 

"You can't drown her!" 

"Keep it away from me and I wont!" he barked and turned to leave. There was a sudden tug on his hakama. Oh gods, no. He looked down and found the pup had grabbed his leg with one hand while still holding on to Kagome with the other. Her death grip was firmly in place and the stubborn look on her face said she wasn't going to let him go no matter what. "Damn it! I hate you! Let go!" 

"Sit!" Kagome snorted. "You're staying right here until I get an explanation, Inuyasha!" 

Inuyasha grumbled in response. 

"Um, Kagome," Ms. Higurashi broke in, "Is there something you need to tell us?"   


~~~~~  


The village let out a collective sigh. There was quiet... blissful quite... for the first time in two nights. Everyone was going back to sleep, thanking all the gods they could think of for the current peace. 

Well, not quite everyone. Tired as he was, Shippo had trekked out after Inuyasha and Yahna. Now he was slumped by the well, trying to stay awake. Inuyasha's scent ended right here, so the kit knew he must have gone to Kagome's country. The problem was, Yahna was nowhere to be found. Her scent was here, mixed with the older hanyou's, but she was gone. He was certain she couldn't have gone far and there wasn't any blood so Inuyasha hadn't killed her. Where could she have gone? 

He fought back another yawn and crawled up to the lip of the well. Emerald eyes peered inside, but like the first ten times he had checked, she wasn't there. _Maybe I just can't see her in the dark..._ he tried to reason, though he knew it was wrong. Desperate for some sort on answer, Shippo leaped in to the well. 

Like every other time he had been in the Bone Eater's well, he landed in the dirt. His nose barely picked up Inuyasha's scent. He couldn't detect Yahna's at all. If she had gone in the well, she hadn't hit the bottom. 

Shippo fought back another yawn as he plopped down in the dirt. "He better not have hurt her," the kit grumbled. Another yawn overtook him and his eyes began to feel even heavier...   


~~~~~  


"She was born from the holy tree!?!" Kagome's jii-chan exclaimed. Kagome nodded as Yahna snuggled against the girl's chest. "Are you certain?" 

"That's what the old bat claims," Inuyasha grunted before taking another bite of rice. 

Everyone was still gathered around the table, seated comfortably on the floor. Inuyasha had been given a bowl of rice while Kagome had explained the strange child's origins. 

"So, Inu-nii-chan had a child with a tree?" Souta asked with a very confused expression. 

"I did not!" the hanyou snapped. "Stupid, god damned tree did it all on it's own!" 

"Or not," Kagome added with a shrug. Inuyasha shot her a glare. "Either way it doesn't really matter since she's already here. I'm more interested in how she got through the well..." she trailed off as he gaze turned to the half inu. 

Inuyasha folded his arms and turned up his nose. "I already told you I don't know. And so long as the thing shuts up, I don't care how it got through." 

"If she got through than others might be able to, as well," Kagome added. 

"Okaa-san," the tree child purred. 

The school girl's expression turned visibly pale as she stared down at the child in her lap. "And who taught her that?" 

A smirk appeared on Inuyasha face. "Now you know how it feels..." 

"Inuyasha, so help me, if you taught her..." 

"I didn't teach the runt anything. It started that all on its own." 

"Inuyasha...!" 

"A little gift from the heavens," Kagome's mother suddenly stated. Both girl and half youkai stared at her in confusion. "If she was born from the holy tree, then she must be a gift from heaven." 

"That's right," the old man across from Kagome agreed. "And you two should feel honored you were selected for such an important task." 

"Important task?" Souta questioned before anyone else could. 

Jii-chan nodded. "Obviously, this child is very important and has something to do here on Earth." 

"What?" 

"I don't know yet, but it must be grand to have her born from a tree already touched by the gods." His gaze turned to Kagome and Inuyasha. "Her care and happiness... her very life has been entrusted to the two of you. That is a great honor..." 

"Yeah, well someone else can have that honor," Inuyasha snorted. "I don't want it!" 

"But you're stuck with her, so deal with it," Kagome snorted back. 

Yahna peeked out from her 'okaa-sama's' chest and stared at Inuyasha. He was starting to move. Her little hands darted out and grabbed hold of the closest thing on him: his hair. The hanyou halted and scowled. 

The child released her hold and held out her arms to him. "Otoo-sama?" 

"Carrying pups is women's work!" he snapped in response. 

"Sit!" 

If there was one thing Inuyasha had learned from Kagome's time, it was that carpet felt a lot better on the face than dirt when sat. He grumbled as he waited for the curse to wear off. Then the hanyou sat back up and glowered. 

Yahna was shoved in to his grasp. "Carrying pups is _parents'_ work," Kagome hissed. "You are her parent, so carrying her is part or _your_ work." 

Yahna was shoved back to Kagome. 

"It is not mine!" 

Yahna was shoved back to Inuyasha. 

"She looks like you!" 

Back to Kagome. 

"It's the tree's brat!" 

To Inuyasha again. 

"The tree _you_ were sealed to for fifty years!" 

Kagome. 

"It's not mine!" 

In Inuyasha's arms once more. 

"She is too!" 

"Otoo-sama! Okaa-sama!" Yahna suddenly wailed. She through her arms up in the air, exasperated. 

"You keep out of this!" the both snapped before going back to fighting. 

The child covered her ears and whimpered as she was, once again, passed back and forth. Maybe wanting Kagome back hadn't been such a good idea. 

_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Jii-chan_ = grandfather or an older man one is close to (though not always related to) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

To answer a question several people raised, technically the only ones who can go through the well are Kagome and Inuyasha. Yura didn't go through it. Only her hair, attached to a single hair on Kagome's clothes, went through (and items seem to go through just fine with Kagome or Inuyasha). As for Mistress Centipede, as near as I can tell in the show and manga, she was dead and dumped in the well. Then, in Kagome's time, she was coming back to life due to being to close to the Shikon no Tama. However, I would like to point out, that there is a part where Kagome can't get through the well because she doesn't have the Shikon no Tama. Eventually, it calls her back to the feudal era (don't remember the exact episode but it was when they first met Naraku). Shippo had the jewel with him when he went in to the well and couldn't get through. So far, based on what I've seen and read, it seems like something only Kagome can do with the Shikon shards and Inuyasha can do when she's in her time. 

Caliko, do you honestly think I'd leave Sesshomaru _out?_ No way. There's way too much fun to be had with him... and Rin. *grins evilly* Don't forget Rin. 

Well, I do hope to write original stuff and sell it, FranceGamble. I have some original stuff on FictionPress, but most of it is old since I haven't bothered to update it. I've revamped my novel a few times since posting a piece of it up there. Also, I'm running a web comic, for any who are interested. Feel free to come visit it at http:// yangchild. keenspace. com/ (just take out the spaces). It's not too far along, story wise, but it's getting there. 

Ah, so long as I'm promoting stuff, I have a few Inuyasha fanfics to recommend. The first is _A Lifetime Loving You_ by Stone Dragon Ruby. It's quite good so far. A little sad, but definitely worth reading. The other is _Inuyasha's Hunt for the Truth_ by Pierce. Inuyasha is quite a bit OOC but it is side-splitting funny. I couldn't stop laughing after I read it. 

*sigh* Well, I'm off to do some homework and try to keep up the classes I could get. My school had to lay off a whole bunch of teachers 'cuz our new governor decided to cut $10 million out of schools this year and will do it again next year. Bastard! Don't forget to leave a review. Later. 


	12. Define 'good' night

Just a small note to an episode I make reference to. In episode 38: The Two Feelings Connected After the Separation, Kagome and Inuyasha have a huge fight centering around Kouga and Kagome goes to her time for a while. During one of the times Inuyasha goes to see her (intent on getting an apology out of her, of course), he finds her asleep. Her alarm clock goes off and he freaks. When he can't get it to be quiet, he takes the clock, runs off with it, and brakes it. This is just so people who haven't seen the episode know why Kagome has a new alarm clock in this chapter. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome sighed as she tried to study. Inuyasha's cold eyes bore into her back, and she hated every second of it. That was the bad thing of having Inuyasha back in her time. Whenever he was there, he was always obnoxious. Even when he wasn't being nosy, he was annoying her. When he wasn't fidgeting, he was staring at her from his perch on her bed. When he wasn't staring, he was bouncing around the room, driving her slowly mad. 

"Oi," he grunted, breaking the tense silence. "Your pup's tired. Take care of it." 

The girl took a deep breath. _He's just upset about the whole situation,_ she reminded herself. _He just needs time to adjust._ "I need to study for my tests." 

"You need to take care of your pup." 

"She's not mine..." 

"It thinks it is," he sneered. "That makes it your responsibility." 

Kagome whirled around in her chair. Chestnut eyes glared at him. "She's your responsibility too! Why can't you take care of her?!" 

"Sleeping with pups is women's work," he stated in a calm voice as his golden gaze fell to the child in question. 

Yahna sat on Kagome's bed in front of Inuyasha with her hands planted on the blankets between her legs. She swayed slightly, struggling to keep awake in the bright room. The little white ears had flipped back when she heard them starting to argue again and the azure eyes blinked shut. 

"I need to study. If I don't pass my exams, I wont pass the ninth grade and I wont get into a good high school. If I don't get into a good high school, I wont have a chance of getting into a good college..." 

"So then don't," he snorted. 

"I have to." 

"Why?" 

"Why?" she repeated, suddenly calming down. 

"Yeah, why? All you ever do is go there, come back smelling like wimpy human boys, and read spell books." 

"I do more than read _text_ books and... what do you mean smell like wimpy human boys?! I don't have time for boys! Between keeping up with my homework and studying and searching for shikon shards, I don't have _time_ for anything else, let alone boys!" 

"Then why do you always smell like them?" he snorted. 

"I do not! Besides, boys go to school too." 

"Keh!" 

Yahna flopped on to her stomach and gave Kagome a pleading look. "Okaa-sama," she moaned. 

"See. It's yours. Take care of it." 

"I'm studying," the girl sighed, hoping Yahna would understand. The child whimpered louder. "Just a little longer, Inuyahna. I promise." Yahna let out another moan but rolled onto her side and buried her face in the blankets. 

Kagome turned back to her books. _Math. Just concentrate on math,_ she mentally scolded herself. Her eyes scanned over the page again... 

The adolescent suddenly found herself lifted out of her chair. 

Inuyasha hoisted her up and carried her over to her bed. "You're done!" he snapped. "Take care of your pup!" 

"Inuyasha!" 

"Go ahead! You'll drop us both!" The girl let out a growl in frustration. "The brat needs sleep and patiently waited three damn days for you! Now you're going to do what she wants! Your stupid school can wait!" 

"I have to study!" 

"So do it tomorrow." 

"My _test_ is tomorrow!" 

"Then you should get plenty of sleep for it," he mock scolded as he silently wished she'd just give up. 

"Okaa-sama," Yahna moaned again. 

The adolescent girl let out a sigh. She knew she wasn't going to win this, not with both of them against her. "Fine, but I get to stay here for an extra day." 

"What?! No way!" Inuyasha snapped. 

"Then I'm going to study..." 

"Fine!" he growled. "One damn day! But the brat stays here too!" 

"Fine." 

"Keh!" 

He dropped Kagome on the bed, then plopped down and leaned against the side. Yahna wasted no time in snuggling up to Kagome. The adolescent gave in and reached over to turn off the light and set her alarm clock. 

"Oyasumi, Inuyasha." 

"Oyasumi." 

~~~~~

Breath was even. Pulse was steady. Eyes were closed and fluttered slightly. There was no other movement in her body. She was asleep. 

Inuyasha smirked. It was late. He was worn out from the pup's crying. Both girls were sleeping. Now was his chance to escape. The child may have been good at keeping track of him while she was awake, but there was no way she could stop him while she was asleep. 

_Now it's time to go back home and find a nice tree..._ He started to move away from the bed only to have his hair yanked. Damn it! The hanyou carefully turned around and found the child had a firm grasp on his hair. _How the hell!?! Its suppose to be asleep!_ He checked her over carefully, even testing her scent. 

No, she was asleep. Both girls were. He was certain. 

A deep sigh escaped him. Long claws tried to slip between her fingers without cutting the child's supple skin. The hand wouldn't budge. _Damn it! The old hag wasn't kidding when she said the brat had the grip of death!_ He pulled at the child's fingers. They squeezed harder. Inuyasha let out a low growl in frustration as he tried harder. 

Suddenly, she released his hair. The hanyou was about to cheer his success when she latched on to his hand. He pulled his hand back, dragging her right out of Kagome's grasp. Kagome tried to pull the child back. Her arms squeezed harder around the tree pup. Inuyasha tried to pull away. Yahna curled around his hand, squeezing with amazing strength from someone so small. 

Something in his hand cracked. A slightly pained expression crossed his face. _She didn't break anything... please say she didn't break anything..._ he mentally whimpered as his fingers started to go numb. He tried one last time to pull away. Yahna wrapped her entire body around the appendage and whimpered. He lifted his hand up. She went right along with it. He shook it slightly. The child sunk her teeth in to his flesh. Inuyasha flinched and growled. She purred back and squeezed even harder. 

_Damn brat!!_ He sat back down and leaned against the bed. Yahna relaxed her grip and snuggled back against Kagome. The second she let go, he yanked his hand back and checked the wound. It wasn't deep, though it stung a little. 

He glared at the child. If he didn't fear hitting Kagome, he would have bobbed her good for that. _Damn pup! Bite me again and I'll bite you back! _

Yahna reached out and latched on to his forelocks. Inuyasha yelped as she pulled him towards her. She rolled over, yanking his hair along with her. The hanyou was pulled half way on the bed in his attempt to keep his hair from getting yanked out. 

When the child stopped moving, he attempted to pry his hair lose again. She held fast. _How'd the brat get such a good grip so fast?! I pulled it off the first day!_ She wrapped around his forearm. Damn it!! 

A pair of arms wrapped around his head and yanked him even closer. The next thing the hanyou knew, his face was pressed against Kagome's neck and he was looking down at the top of Yahna's head. Her scent overpowered his senses, urging him to move in closer. His free hand slid up and started reaching for her. 

"Kagome..." he whispered. 

Kagome moaned contently and nuzzled against the back of his head. Inuyasha blushed and jerked the hand back. _She's sleeping, idiot!_

Then his mind went in to a panic. _Wait! She's sleeping! That means when she wakes up, she's going to sit me for this! She's going to sit me for this! She's going to sit me for this!!! Damn it! I just want to leave! Now I'm going to get sat for not even doing anything!!! _

_...Wait! That's right! I didn't do anything! This isn't my fault! They did this all on their own! She can't sit me for this! ... Alright, so she can, but she has no right to! I was just trying to leave! She's always telling me to leave! She should be happy I was leaving!_

"Inu...yasha," the girl sighed in her sleep. 

The blush on his cheeks spread over his entire face. This isn't fair! Golden eyes traveled down to Yahna. _I have to get away! She wont let go... so I'll take her with. I have to get out of here! She'll sit me a hundred times for this!_ He took a deep, ready to push back, and his resolve wavered. _Gods she sm... No! Get away! Get away!_ Kagome buried her nose in his hair. Yahna rolled back over and grabbed his haori and yukata along with some silver hair in one hand. Her other hand gripped Kagome's sleeping shirt. A helpless whimper escaped him. Damn it! I'm going to get sat for trying to leave! 

An ache was starting to form in his back from where he was bent over the side of the bed. The hanyou decided to examine his situation. Alright, he was half on the bed, lying on his side with his spin bending unnaturally at his waist. The tree brat held on to the front of him and Kagome with the grip of death. Kagome had latched on to him and had her arms intertwined behind his neck. Her fingers were tangled in his hair and one hand was lightly brushing his ear while he fought to keep down a contented rumble. Alright, there didn't seem to be any chance of escape, he was highly uncomfortable, and he was going to get sat the second Kagome woke up. 

_Damn it! If I'm going to get sat anyway, I might as well enjoy what I'm being sat for!_ Inuyasha wiggled his lower half on to the bed while pushing Kagome towards the wall at the same time. When he was fully on, he found the adolescent girl had loosened her grip, letting him move his head away. Yahna, however, still had a firm hold on them. After a few hesitant moments, he wrapped his arms around both Kagome and the child, resting his chin on top of the young miko's head. Kagome let out a soft moan and snuggled closer against him. He sighed and relaxed. At least he was comfortable now. 

*****

Beep. Beep. Beep. Kagome's new alarm clock sounded off in an annoying tone. If there was one thing Kagome missed it was her old alarm clock. The ringing wasn't near as annoying as the beeping. 

Still half asleep, she reached for the clock only to find one of her pillows in the way. She yawned, peeking her eyes open a little, and reached over it. When the beeping was stopped, she laid back down and snuggled in to her pillow... 

Wait. When had she gotten a red pillow? A red pillow... with a heart beat... that moved like... like breathing? 

She pushed back slightly and peered lazily at the pillow. It didn't look like a pillow. She lifted her head up a little and was suddenly nose to nose with a silver haired man with golden eyes. A silver haired man staring at her intently... in her bed... 

Kagome let out a small shriek and jerked back. Inuyasha let out a startled yelp as he tumbled off the edge of the small bed and crashed on the floor with Yahna still attached. The child bit her tongue when she thudded against his chest and burst in to loud wails. Inuyasha flipped his ears back and growled as Kagome crawled over to the edge of the bed and peered down at the two hanyou sprawled out on the ground. 

The adolescent girl smiled sheepishly. "Gomen." 

Inuyasha growled. "You made it cry! You take care of it!" He yanked to child off and tossed her at Kagome. The adolescent hanyou rolled to his feet and started for the window. 

"Sit." 

Face met floor. 

"What the hell was that for?!" he cried. 

"What were you doing in my bed?!" she demanded as she cradled the child in her arms. 

Inuyasha blushed and shifted uncomfortable. He was still dead set on it not being his fault, but convincing her of that was going to be a bit difficult. ... ... ... Well, when in doubt... "Keh!" 

"Sit." His body was slammed deeper in to the carpet. "I want a better explanation than that." 

He growled and glared at the sniffling child in her arms. "It's your pup's fault! It did it!" 

"How dare you try and blame this on her! She's not even two weeks old! How could this be her fault?!" 

"It just is! That thing is nothing but trouble!" 

"That thing is a child who doesn't know any better." 

"Ha! Then you admit it's the brat's fault!" he cried as he leaped to his feet. 

"I do not!" 

"It's your fault too," Inuyasha grunted while turning away. 

"How's it my fault?!" she demanded. 

"You grabbed me and pulled me on, moaning 'Inuyasha, oh Inuyasha!'" he sneered in his best mock impression of her. The hanyou kept his nose in the air, not daring to look at her, as he tried to hide his blush. 

Kagome's face turned beat red. "I... I... I did not!" 

"How would you know? You were asleep, dr..." 

"Sit! Sit! Sit! Siiiiiiiit!" 

The floor groaned as Inuyasha's body tried to become one with it. 

Yahna was gently placed on the bed. Kagome stood, grabbed her school uniform, and marched out of her room. 

"O-oi! Where're you going?!" the flattened hanyou demanded. 

"To change! And if you dare follow me..." 

"Who'd want to follow you," he jeered. 

"Sit!" She slammed the door and stormed off towards the bathroom. 

Inuyasha groaned and sat up when the spell wore off. This was not turning out to be a good morning. 

Yahna slid off the bed a toddled over to him. She looked at him curiously. "Otoo-sama..." 

"This is your fault," he snorted. She crawled in to his lap and snuggled against him. He growled for a moment, then let out a sigh and gave her a small scratch behind her ears. Yahna let out a contented rumble, though, like her growl, it sounded like a purr. "Gods, you are..." The door suddenly opened. Inuyasha shoved the child off roughly. "Don't touch me, brat!" 

"She's just being affectionate," Kagome snorted as she set her pajamas on her bed. "You don't have to be so mean to her for it. She might start acting like you if you keep it up." 

"Keh!" 

Kagome rubbed her temples as she tried to restrain her temper. "Come on Inuyahna. Mama made breakfast..." 

"Don't call it that," Inuyasha grunted. Kagome blinked and stared at him. "Inuyahna. Don't call it that." 

"That's _her_ name." 

"Don't call the brat that!" 

"Stop calling her an _it _and start calling her a _her_ and I might." 

The child trotted over to the school girl and held her arms up. Kagome gladly picked the child up. She started for the door, ignoring the grown hanyou following after them. Yahna nuzzled up to Kagome earning a giggle from the adolescent girl. 

_Little, conniving kiss up..._ Inuyasha mentally grumbled. 

~~~~~

"Has anyone seen Shippo?" Sango inquired as she stepped back in to Kaede's hut. Miroku and Kaede shook their heads. The taijiya sighed as she took a seat and started eating her breakfast with them. "Hm. Where could he..." 

"He killed her!" a familiar voice wailed from just outside. The three adults looked curiously at the door flap. Shippo came bounding in with tears running down his face. "He killed her! He killed her!" 

"Who killed who?" the monk asked calmly. 

The kit flopped down in front of the cooking fire. "Inuyasha! He killed my imoot! He killed Yahna!" 

Chopsticks fell from both Miroku and Sango's hands. All three looked horrified. "What!?!" the adults all cried at once. 

"He killed her! He was threatening to do it and he did! I didn't think he would but he did!" Shippo continued to wail. 

"Where?!" Miroku demanded. 

"When?!" Sango asked. 

"Last night! By the well! And then he went through!" 

Sango reached for her boomerang. Kaede put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Where's Yahna's body?" the old miko inquired calmly. 

"I don't know! I can't find her!" 

"Then how do you know he killed her?" 

"Because her scent suddenly stops at the well!" 

The adults blinked and exchanged curious glances. "Is she at the bottom of it?" Sango asked gently. The kit shook his head. "Did he..." 

"But I thought only Inuyasha and Kagome-sama could go through," the monk supplied. 

Shippo's wailing suddenly stopped. "Wh-what?" 

"Maybe she..." 

"Went through as well?" Sango inquired. 

Miroku nodded. 

"Hmmm... that certainly adds to her mystery," Kaede added. The others nodded in agreement. 

~~~~~ 

"Oi! Oi! Come back here Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted as he chased after Kagome. 

The girl in question paused at the steps of the shrine and glared at him. "I have to go to school!" 

"You have to take care of your pup!" 

"Sit! I'll be back later to watch her! Just stay here and keep her out of trouble... and go back inside!" 

Inuyasha growled as he watched Kagome and her brother run down the steps. "God damned tree brat."

_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Oyasumi_ = good night 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Well, to answer several broad questions I got, yes Fluffy-sama will show up with Rin and Jaken, but that wont be for a while. There's _way_ to much fun to be had in modern times first. *Looks at where she has written to and cackles maniacally* Let's just say Yahna and video games are not a good combination. 

Kagome's mother. She's a hard character since she gets so little time in the show. She does have a few good moments now and again. So far, she has been extremely calm and patient with her daughter. She seems to give Kagome advice when she needs it most (like in episode 48, when she tells Kagome about how Kagome's father purposed, helping console her broken hearted daughter). She seems to act this way when I write with her. She is also a lot more patient with Yahna (given that she already has experience dealing with toddlers). 

What about Shippo's reaction? Well, aside from just being kinda funny (or at least I thought it was funny), he had valid reasons to be concerned. Inuyasha did threaten to kill Yahna a couple of times. Sure, they weren't real threats he intended on carrying out, but still. If someone said they were going to kill your younger sister, then took her and disappeared, what conclusions would you draw? 

Dragon Man 180, Shippo is actually quite clever, as far as pranks go. I have far grander things planned for him. 

MalletWielderofDoom, Kagome's brother tried to go through the well in episode 11 and wasn't able to. However, Inuyasha can smell things from Kagome's time since he smelled her blood on Souta's hand. Hope that helps clear a little bit up. 

From the way it is playing out in my head, Caliko, the emotionless, unmovable Sesshomaru may actually twitch. Personally, I think Kouga's reaction will be much funnier, though.

Well, that's all for now. Hope everyone had a happy Valentines day. Later. 


	13. Just ONE afternoon!

A steady throbbing was forming in Kagome's brain. _You wouldn't think watching a child for **one** afternoon would be such a big deal,_ she mentally glowered. _It's not like she's bad or anything. All she wants to do is be held. It's not **that** difficult. But oh no, that's **women's work!** Arg! He is such a baka! Baka! Baka! Baka! Why she could ever want him to be her otoo-san, I'll never know! She should've kept her mouth shut when she had the chance! At least she could..._

"Kagome-chan!" three high pitched voices squealed. She turned around to see Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka running up behind her. 

"Ohayo," Kagome stated in a friendly tone to cover up her frustrations with the stubborn hanyou. 

"Kagome-chan, it's so good to coming to school again for more than a day or two at a time. Your health must be improving," Ayumi said with a smile. 

"Are you ready for the math test today?" Eri inquired. 

Sigh. "Not really. I didn't get much studying done because of In... being sick," Kagome quickly recovered. Knowing her friends, if she said anything about Inuyasha staying over for the night or waking up with him in her bed, she'd never hear the end of it. It was bad enough everyone at school already thought she had the worst immune system in the world. Rumors that she was sleeping with her 'mystery man' were not something she needed added to her list of problems at the moment. 

"Yeah, we heard you had malaria and were in the hospital for while..." Yuka continued. 

Kagome twitched. _Errr, Ji-chan! I really need to have a talk with him about these diseases!_ "Oh, well, I'm fine now." 

"I didn't get much studying in either," Eri replied. "My parents went out for the evening and left me to watch my ototo. He's such a brat. He could use to learn a few things from Souta." 

"Mm, yeah, he is a big help sometimes," Kagome agreed. A fond smile crept up on her face as she recalled all the times her little brother had brought her homework for her. He may have been a pest sometimes, but he really was the best little brother she could hope for. 

"I still don't get the integrating multiple variables thing," Yuka groaned. "Half the test is gonna be on it, too." 

"I know what you mean..." 

"Oh, integrating multiple variables is easy," Ayumi interrupted. 

"Really!?! How?" 

"Explain it to us!" 

~~~~~

"Otoo-sama! Otoo-sama! Oootoooo-sssaaammmaaa!" 

Inuyasha eyed the child fidgeting in front of him. Her fingers were lacing and unlacing in front of her and she a rather desperate look on her face. She was hoping from one foot to another while somehow managing to keep her knees locked together. It would have been quite a comical display had the child not insisted on calling him 'otoo-sama' several times in a row in that whinny puppy voice. 

"What?" he demanded. 

"Otoo-sama," she whimpered again. 

"What?" She stopped hopping and just stared at him with big, pleading eyes. "What?!" Her whimpers became more insistent. "If you want something, runt, you have to tell me. I can't read minds." She crossed her legs and grabbed between them. 

Now he was really confused. "What's wrong with you? Did you hurt yourself or something?" 

Curious, he picked her up. Her eyes were beginning to water. Having previously learned how loud she cried, Inuyasha decided it would be best to figure out what was wrong and get rid of it. The child was pulled close to his chest, and he gently scratched behind her ears as he looked her over. 

Yahna curled her legs up, still grabbing between them. It was an odd place to have hurt herself really. Injuries there were usually a little harder to obtain... unless she had pulled a muscle. He gave a slight wince at the thought. He'd pulled muscles there before, and it usually hurt more than being sat. _Well, she was jumping on some of the furniture earlier._ He glanced around Kagome's room in an attempt to determine the culprit responsible for her pain. _Maybe the shelf... or the 'dress-her'..._

Warmth soaked in to the front of his haori. The scent of urine filled his nose. Hesitantly, he looked back at the child. A very guilty, slightly embarrassed expression covered her face. Her hakama was soaked between the legs, as was the front of his hoari where she was pressed against him. 

"God damn tree brat! You pee outside! Not on me!" 

~~~~~

"Higurashi!" 

The girls turned around quickly to Hojo approaching fast on his bike. The bike slowed and came to a stop next to them. He stepped off and smiled innocently. 

"Hojo-kun," all four said at once.

Ah, the dream boy of Kagome's junior high school. He was handsome, charming, sweet... Hojo reached into his bag and pulled out a small, plastic bag with some sort of herbs inside. "Here," he said kindly as he handed it to Kagome. "It's green tea with willow bark, catnip, and clover. It's good for boosting the immune system, keeps down fevers, helps with toothaches, and reduces swelling." 

He was also quite obsessed with giving Kagome rather bizarre healing remedies. It was sort of cute, really, in a rather pathetic, desperate sort of way. 

Kagome forced a smile. "Uh, thank you Hojo-kun. That's very kind of you..." 

"And I was wondering if you would like to go see the new Miyazaki film this Saturday? I hear it's one of his best yet." 

"Uh, I would but I can't." _There's no way Inuyasha will let me stay until Saturday even if I wanted to._

"Really?" The boy gave her a rather disappointed look. 

There was a nudging in Kagome's side. She glanced over to see her friends staring at her. "She'd love to go," Eri answered for her. 

"No, I really can't," the young miko insisted. 

"Why not?" Yuka demanded. 

"I... uh..." An image of a very angry Inuyasha passed through her mind. One way or another, he'd find a way of dragging her back through the well. Then Yahna appeared. That was it! "I have to babysit!" 

"Babysit?" the others all chorused. 

"Yeah. She's the daughter of a friend... of Mama's. I said I'd babysit her while he's... out of town... for the next few days. I gave him my word, so I can't back out now." 

"Um, Kagome-chan?" Ayumi inquired gently, "Are you sure you should be around children? You might still be contagious." 

A blush spread on Kagome's cheeks. _Ji-chan! _"I'm fine now. Really. I am." She gave a nervous laugh just as the bell sounded. "Oh look! There's the bell! We better hurry to class!" Kagome made a run for her class and it's promise of safety from her friends questions. 

~~~~~

"Otoo-sama!" Yahna cried as she ran in circles around him in something Kagome's mother called a 'dress'. It was an odd outfit made of two pieces of light purple fabric stitched together on the sides with a little yellow bird on the front. Mrs. Higurashi said it had been Kagome's when she was as little as Yahna. It looked strange on her as far as he was concerned. He might be able to see a young Kagome in it but not a miniature version of himself. Besides, this was Kagome's time, not Yahna's. The child didn't belong in anything from this time... not that he cared or anything. She wasn't his anyway... 

He scratched his bare chest unconsciously. Mrs. Higurashi had taken their clothes a while ago and said she'd put them in the 'washing machine' and 'dryer' for him. Frankly, he didn't care if they were dry or not; he just wanted his clothes back. Normally, he didn't like going around with out a covering of some sort. It was... _Embarrassing. Damn brat. Just had to go and wet yourself, didn't you? Couldn't go outside by yourself, could you?_

Amber eyes watched the child run several more circles. Just watching her was starting to make him dizzy. Then, she stopped. She attempted to find balance as her body wobbled uncontrollable. Yahna plopped on the ground. Her head swayed back and forth and her eyes danced around wildly. Finally, she flopped on her back and giggled while he watched her like she had gone mad. 

Inuyasha leaned over the pup. "Oh, I suppose you like being dizzy, huh?" Her hands reached up. The little hands clenched and unclenched as she attempted to reach for him. "Keh!" He backed off and leaned back against the wall in the living room. 

He felt a tug on his hand and looked down to see her pulling on him. He lifted the hand with her still attached up. "What?" 

"Otoo-sama!" 

"Yeah, what?" She made the purr he was coming to recognize as her growl. For the first time, her innocent smile was completely gone and had been replaced by a mischievous smirk. He grunted. "You're too little for those sorts of games with someone as strong as me. Besides, you're a girl and girls don't play such games." 

Yahna pouted. "Otoo-sama..." 

"No. It'd be too easy to seriously hurt you and I'm not going to get subdued for _playing_ with you... then again..." He smiled devilishly. 

"You're kimonos are clean," Mrs. Higurashi said in her usual calm voice as she came in. She held the folded clothes out to him. "The haori still needs to dry a little longer, though." 

Inuyasha gave a slight nod. "Arigatou," he stated blandly. 

Yanna copied his nod and smiled innocently at the human woman. The woman smiled back, then left. 

When she was gone, the azure eyes turned up to Inuyasha. "Otoo-sama..." 

The child's warm clothes were dropped on her. "You can dress yourself. I've seen you do it." Yahna snuggled in to the warm clothes with a blissful sigh. Amber eyes glanced down at her. _So easily pleased..._

He turned his attention back to his yukata and carefully unfolded it. The simple white cloth was pleasantly warm as if it had been warn for a while. A clean, slightly flower scent carried up to his nose and made him smile. It was similar to Kagome's clothes, though it lacked that distinct part that was her... that was just Kagome... 

A tug on his hakama brought him back to the present. He peered down at the child still wearing the 'dress' thing. "Eh? What?" She beckoned him closer with one finger. The older hanyou knelt down so he was close to eye level with her. "What is it? You don't have to pee again, do you?" Yahna shook her head. "Then what?" She cupped her hands around her mouth as if she wanted to whisper a secret. Truly curious, he kneeled down further and turned his ear to her. 

Suddenly, she bolted out the door. Completely confused, he leaned back on his heals and scratched his head. _Alright, so the pup is acting weird. Maybe it's just playing... uh... something. Probably a game Shippo taught it._

Shrugging it off, he went back to dressing. Then he noticed something was missing. His munahimo... the little cord one. His eyes darted around in a frantic search for it. The yukata was turned over and inside out. No sign of it. He glared at the door. 

"She didn't..." Yahna peeked her head back in with the same mischievous smile as before. She held up one hand, proudly displaying the black piece of cording. "Give that back!" he roared as he leaped for her. The child darted out of reach and down the hall. "That's mine! Give it back!" he howled as he chased after her. 

~~~~

Kagome was practically skipping up the steps on her way home. The test had gone wonderfully and she was sure she had past it. It really hadn't been as hard as she had thought and she was glad she hadn't stayed up half the night studying. Her friends and her had gone to Wacdonalds just after school to celebrate. Best of all, the other three girls had been in such a good mood about the test, they had completely forgotten to ask her about her 'mystery man' or the 'babysitting' job. Sure, today had gotten off to a bad start, but now there was nothing that could bring her spirits down... 

**Crash! Bang! Boom!** "Come back here, brat!" 

_Scratch that._

Kagome ran the rest of the way to the house, fearing the worst. The second she opened the front door, something light purple and white flew at her chest. She was sent sprawling to the ground with the thing attached to her chest. It took the girl a few seconds before she recognized the white and purple and pink thing. 

"Inuyahna!" 

"Okaaaa-samaaa," she half purred out with a huge grin on her face. The child held up a piece of black string rather proudly. 

"What is..." 

"Don't let it get away!" Inuyasha barked as he came thundering down the hall. 

"Sit!" The hanyou greeted the floor boards with his face. "What did I hear breaking?!" 

"That's mine! Make it give it back!" he snapped. 

"Inuyasha!" 

"The pup started it! Anything broken is the pup's fault!" 

"What did you break!?!" 

Souta peeked around the corner. "He knocked over your dresser and book shelf, broke a few dishes, spilled the laundry everywhere, tipped over the kitchen table and a few chairs, and there are claw marks in my door," the boy supplied. Inuyasha glared at him. 

"If they're going to rough house like that, they need to go outside," Mrs. Higurashi scolded. Kagome stared in shock as she saw her mother come around the corner looking slightly frazzled. 

Blink blink. "Inuyasha, sit! Sit! Sit! Sit!" The hanyou let out a painful 'urk' as he was repeatedly slammed in to the floor. "And you are going to help clean everything up!" 

"The pup started it!" 

"She is going to help too!" She shot the child a hard glare. Yahna flinched and hid her treasure behind her back. Her eyes turned big and watered over. "Don't even think about it! You helped make this mess, you're helping clean it up!" 

"Okaa-sama..." 

Kagome shoved the girl off her stomach. "Give it back!" Yahna flinched again. "Now!" 

"Okaa..." 

"Now, Inuyahna!" 

Yahna whimpered but leaped over to Inuyasha. He gave her a dirty glare. Hesitantly, she held out her prize. Inuyasha harshly grabbed it and turned away from the girl. "Damn manipulative little brat..." he muttered as he tied it back on. 

"One afternoon. Really, just one afternoon..." Kagome muttered as she dusted herself off. 

Souta watched her storm past and up the stairs. Inuyasha was close behind, scowling at the child he roughly carried with him. Yahna sniffled but said nothing. 

The boy looked up at his mother. "I don't suppose this would be a good time to tell her she was late in coming home." 

"No, I don't think it would," the woman sighed. 

_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Munahimo_ = the string inuyasha wears that is used to keep clothes closed and/or decorate them (thank you Amakara) 

_Ohayo_ = good morning 

_Ototo_ = younger brother 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Inuyasha has learned three important things in this chapter. 10 points for each one you can name. 

None of Kagome's friends have ever been given family in the series, so I did give one of them a younger brother. It was harder to work around if I took it out. 

Ah, it feel good to edit something funny. I was working on something rather depressive for the past few days and... well, yeah. This on top of some issues with friends didn't put me in a good mood for a while. This cheered me up a bit. 

I don't know, why do you have to be so mean Inuyasha65? If you mean, why is Inuyasha being so mean, that will actually be answered in chapter 14 which will conclude the first part of this. I have it divided into parts in my mind, by the way. This first part is called Yahna-chan in honor of the little cutie (though I guess Otoo-sama fits pretty well too). 

They're not OOC, Finding Faith? Really? *get's big grin on face* Thank you so much. I've been trying to keep them in character as much as possible. That's not always easy with some characters, so it's nice to hear that I'm doing a good job with them. 

Thank you for the high praise, shorty40. It means a lot to hear people that like the flow of my writing. Sometimes I'm not always sure if things flow or make sense not and since I'm my own worst critic, it's good to know that others know what I'm talking about. 

Good questions, giggles19701 and Joann. Yes, the mystery will be solved. However, it is going to get a lot more complicated first. As for her parentage (and how she could be born from a tree), that will be answered later as well. As for bringing Inuyasha and Kagome closer together, well yes and no. She is certainly bringing them physically closer. However, children can be a great strain on any relationship. However, I am a big Inuyasha/Kagome supporter, so yes, there will be at least moments with them. 

Yet, Dragon Man 180. She isn't grabbing his ears _yet_. Besides, where's the fun in Yahna grabbing them? I can think of someone else grabbing his ear that would be much cuter and really funny. 

Badgerwolf, women's rights in feudal Japan is an oxymoron. Women didn't have rights. They were completely at their father or husband's will, really. In fact, this time period is when women actually started losing many of their former rights. Not a good time for women in Japan. I am sort of reflecting this a bit in Inuyasha. However, Kagome comes form a time when women have gained a ton of rights and are gaining more by the year. This is due to the need for women to work in Japan, so they are getting better treatment in order to encourage them to take jobs. 

Alana-Star, I'm got to agree with Leo on this. 

So, that's all for now. I'll try and edit the next chapter by next Friday, but don't hold your breath, kay? That chapter is gonna be a little heavier than the last ones. Given the note that this one ended on, I think you can guess that a little. See you all next time. 


	14. That's it, isn't it?

Just a small note: I don't own legos any more than I own Inuyasha. They belong to the Lego company. I just barrowed it for the story since legos are all over the world. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sniffle sniffle. 

Kagome sighed and looked over at the still upset child wearing one of her childhood dresses. She sat on Kagome's floor playing with some of Souta's legos. The child had cried for a good hour before settling in to sniffles and just doing as she was told. 

When everything had happened, the school girl had been furious. Her anger had only grown when she saw the mess they had made. Yahna's crying aggravated her, making things worse and she kept yelling more. A few times, Inuyasha had protested in favor of giving the child what she wanted just to make her stop crying. When Kagome ignored him, the hanyou had told her she was being too cruel. He had been sat for that and stopped speaking to her. Dealing with her brother when he was younger had taught her that giving in only made him do it more. 

Now that things had calmed down, Kagome felt bad. _Maybe I was a bit harsh,_ she thought with a sigh. Her thoughts traveled back to one of Inuyasha's protests. _'It was just playing. I just got a little carried away...'_ She had needed to be punished, though. If she wasn't taught that such behavior was wrong, she'd just do it again. _But he's right. She didn't really understand what she'd done was wrong._ Yahna wiped a tear from her cheeks. _She doesn't understand. I shouldn't have yelled at her like that._

Giving up her studying, she approached the child. She sat next to Yahna and watched the girl closely. Yahna made no move to acknowledge her. Kagome reached out a hand and the pup jerked away, cradling the legos to her chest. She frowned at Yahna's reaction. Honestly, she hadn't really meant to be so mean. She had just been so angry and for a while, she had forgotten how young Yahna really was. 

Kagome held her hand out to Yahna. "I'm sorry, Inuyahna. I didn't mean to be yell so much." Yahna grunted in response and scooted away. "I wasn't really angry at you. I just lost my temper because of the mess you and Inuyasha made." 

Sniffle sniffle. 

Kagome grabbed a tissue from her desk. Gently, she lifted the child onto her lap. At first, Yahna struggled. Then she curled up in a little ball with her hands over her ears. 

"Shhhh," Kagome soothed as she gentle rubbed the tissue over the child's cheeks, picking up the stray tears. "Shh. It's alright now. You're not in trouble anymore." She lifted the child in her arms and gave the girl a delicate kiss on the top of the head. "I'm not mad. I promise." After a few tense moments, Yahna uncurled a little and peered up at Kagome. A soft smile greeted the blood shot azure eyes. Kagome nuzzled against the girl. Yahna finally untensed her muscles and returned the affection. She wrapped her arms around Kagome's neck and whimpered. 

"See. It's alright now. Just no more rough housing inside. You have to play like that outside. Alright?" Yahna nodded. Kagome smiled. "Alright." She stood and hefted the child up in her arms. "How about we go have a bath, okay?" Again, Yahna nodded. Another kiss was planted on the top of child's head and she was carried out. 

~~~~~

Inuyasha hastily dashed out of sight as Kagome came out of her room. When she was in the bathroom with the door closed, he came back and slipped into the girl's bedroom. He crawled on to Kagome's bed and let out a sigh of relief. 

For a moment there, he was afraid Kagome would reject the pup. Sure, Yahna would be fine without him, but she needed a mother. There was no mistaking that. No one else would take care of her. No one would keep her clean and fed, hold her when she slept, or comfort her when she was upset. Only a mother could do that. 

When she'd turned away from Kagome, he'd been afraid Yahna wouldn't want anything to do with her again. Having the child reject Kagome would have been just as bad. She needed Kagome, even if she didn't know that yet. He knew personally how hard it was not having a mother and he didn't wish that on anyone, least of all Yahna. 

The hanyou sighed again and laid on his back. _That could've gone really bad._ One hand idly traced down to the munahimo tied around his chest. _Next time, don't jump after her-it! It! It's just a tree pup!_ He rolled to his stomach. The image of her tricking him to get the string flashed through his mind. _Maybe there's more going on in there than she let's on... she hadn't been that agile a few days ago... or that clever..._

"None of this makes sense," he breathed out. "Just none of it." 

~~~~~

A slight moan brought Kagome's attention to the child in her lap. Yahna had settled to sleep shortly after their bath but refused to be put down. Kagome smiled and absently stroked the child's hair as she turned back to her biology homework. 

Behind her, Inuyasha grunted from his place on her bed. She didn't have to turn around to know he had that infuriating smug expression he always wore when he thought he was right. _He'd better not..._

"See. Caring for pups is women's work." 

Kagome turned sharply in her chair and glared at him. He just smirked confidently. "Alright, Inuyasha, I have a question for you," she grated out through clenched teeth. "What is men's work?" 

"Huh?" 

"What. Is. Men's. Work?" 

"Men's work?" 

"Yes, _men's_ work. You have been telling me all about women's work most of the day. Now I want to know what you think _your_ responsibility to _your_ child is." 

"It's not mine." 

Yahna squirmed a little in Kagome's lap, reminding the adolescent to restrain her temper. "She's not mine either, but I don't think we exactly have a choice in the matter. Now, I want to know what you think your responsibilities to her are." 

"It's not mine so I don't have to do anything for it." 

"Inuyasha!" 

"Keh!" he snorted and turned up his nose with his eyes closed and hands in his sleeves. 

She took a deep breath to calm herself. Then she sat up straight in her chair. The girl's hand's slipped under Yahna's arms and lifted the child off her lap. This caught Inuyasha's attention and he peeked one eye open. He waited for a moment for her to do something. 

"Alright. I can be that way to," Kagome grunted. She let Yahna go. 

Yahna jolted awake when she hit the ground. The groggy child burst in to tears as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. 

Inuyasha leaped off the bed and was at Yahna's side in a heartbeat. He scooped the child up and glared at Kagome. "What the hell is wrong with you, bitch!?! You don't drop your pup when it's sleeping!!" 

"She's not mine so I don't have to do anything for her," she stated stubbornly. "I didn't want her sleeping on me, so I removed her." 

"Take it back!!" 

"No." Kagome whirled around her seat and turned back to he biology book. 

Inuyasha whirled her back around and shoved the still bawling Yahna on to her lap. "And keep holding her, bitch!" Kagome moved to lift Yahna again. Inuyasha grabbed her wrists and stopped her. "Don't you dare!" 

"Or what? You'll break my wrists?" 

"No, damn it! Just hold her!" 

Yahna had stopped crying now and was holding her hands over her ears, shivering. 

"Why should I?! You don't do anything!" 

"I do to!" 

"Name five things you've done for her!" 

"I gave her a bath!" he snorted. 

"And?" 

"Brought her here!" 

"So you could dump her off on me! That doesn't count! Four more things!" 

"... ah... Damn wench!" 

"Who's doing most of the work, huh?! You can't even keep her out of trouble!" 

"I didn't ask for any of this," he grunted to himself as he turned away from them. 

"You think I did!?!" Kagome snapped, hearing every word. 

"Keh! What do you know!" he snorted stubbornly. "It all comes naturally to females, and they get to have a say in it," he grumbled to himself. 

Kagome's features suddenly softened. "That's it, isn't it." 

"What?" he demanded curtly. 

The girl stood, lifting Yahna with her. She walked up next to him and looked closely at his face. "You didn't ask for any of this. That's why you're upset." He turned his nose up stubbornly. "That's why you don't want anything to do with her, isn't it?" 

"Keh!" 

She reached one hand up a gently cupped his cheek. His eyes went wide and he looked back at her. A blush stained his face. 

"Inuyasha, gomen. I didn't mean to yell." 

"Keh," he muttered as he looked at the now fascinating ground. They were both silent for a moment. "I... I didn't ask for this," the hanyou whispered. "Damn tree never asked me if it could do this. Never said, 'Oi, Inuyasha, want a kid?' It just did it." 

"No it didn't," Kagome agreed. 

"I... well, I don't really know much about pups..." 

"Neither do I. I mean, I use to watch Souta after school, but I never really had to do anything except keep him out of trouble. I've never been completely in charge of taking care of another person before." 

He folded his arms together and glared at her. "What are you talking about. Taking care of pups is what women do. You take care of Shippo all the time." 

"Shippo's old enough to take care of himself. He has before. She..." Her eyes drifted down to the sniffling child, "...can't. That's a lot of responsibility..." 

"Yeah, but you know what you're doing." 

"No, I don't. I'm just trying to remember things Mama used to do with Souta and me. I don't really know anything beyond that." Kagome blinked curiously. _His parents... he doesn't really remember his otoo-san_. She smiled softly. "Here. Take her." 

"Huh?" 

"Hold her. Just for a minute." 

He hesitated, trying to come up with an excuse not to. One look in Kagome's honest eyes and he gave up. The hanyou stiffly grabbed the child and held her at arm's length. She remained curled up as best she could with her hands over her ears. 

"Now what?" he inquired. 

"Hold her closer," she urged. 

Again, he hesitated. Slowly, he pulled his arms closer until the child rested against his chest. She sniffled and snuggled into his haori. His amber eyes quickly turned back to the girl, searching for some sort of guidance or answer. 

"What feels right?" 

"Huh?" 

"What feels right? What feels right to do?" 

"I... uh..." His gaze turned to the girl snuggled against him. Her ears were still flattened against her head and a few tears fell from her eyes. Honestly, he just wanted her to stop crying. "I don't know..." 

"Just do what feels natural. Instinct. I don't know any other way to explain it." 

She snuggled deeper in to his arms and chest. Hold her...? He let his muscles relax and bit, then supported her up a little higher. After a moment, he lifted her higher and nuzzled against her face like he'd seen Kagome do before. 

Yahna nuzzled right back, whimpering a little. "Otoo-sama." 

A slight smile lifted the corners of his lips. Right... 

The light touch of Kagome's hand on his arm brought him back to the rest of the room. He stared down at Kagome. She smiled warmly. The hanyou sighed. "This isn't going away is it?" Kagome shook her head. Amber eyes turned back to the child. "Didn't think so. Guess we'll just have to learn to live with you then..." 

"Inuyasha!" 

Yahna yawned and stretched her arms up, obviously more relaxed. 

"And it's time to sleep." 

"I still..." 

He snagged her by the arm and dragged her to her bed. "I said it's time for bed. Your pup needs sleep and sleeping with pups is women's work." 

"Inuyasha, yo-" The back of her knees hit the bed and she dropped on it, cutting off her tirade. Yahna was placed gently in her arms before she could continue. The hanyou turned around and flicked the light on her desk off the same way he'd watched her do a dozen times. Then, he plopped down on the floor at the side of the bed. 

Yahna reached out and snagged one of his ears. Inuyasha let out a strangled grunt as he leaned into the pull. "Oi! Let go!" he snapped. 

"Otoo-sama," she whimpered as she brushed a little moisture out of the corner of her eye. 

He narrowed his eyes. "You're not going to let me sit on the floor, are you?" She responded by pulling harder. "Owe! Alright! Alright! Let go!" The little girl released his sensitive ear. He snorted and rubbed the abused flesh. He gazed at Kagome, intending to look domineering and in control; instead, he gave her a half pleading, half fearful look while his cheeks turned a cute shade of pink. 

The teenager sighed. "I don't think she's going to give in no matter what we say. She's even more stubborn than you." 

"Yeah, right on the same level as you," he retorted. 

She rolled her eyes and lied on her side. "Go ahead. Neither of us are going to get any sleep otherwise." 

"You're not going to push me out of the bed in the morning again, are you?" 

"I apologized, didn't I? Besides, I wasn't expecting you to be there. I'm letting you, this time." 

He slowly crawled on the bed and settled down so his back was against the wall and her back was to him. After Yahna had settled and snuggled against Kagome, he cautiously, he slid one arm under Kagome's pillow and laid the other over her waist. The school girl was tense for a moment, but soon relaxed. He sighed, then did the same, laying his chin over her head and deeply breathing her sweet scent. _Maybe now things'll get better,_ he mentally sighed. Yahna yawned and wiggled about a little to get more comfortable. One of his hands snagged her ankle and she settled. _At least they can't get any worse..._

_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Gomen_ = sorry 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Alright, before anyone jumps down my throat about Kagome's actions in this chapter, I would like to defend myself. First off, Kagome is 15 and Inuyasha is 16-17 (minus the 50 years attached to the tree). They are teenagers. They are teenagers with minimal parenting experience who have just become parents of an active 4 year old (in appearance). In my experience and education, teenagers tend to not make good parents. It's even harder with a child that is a few years old and you have not had a chance to really get to know yet. Neither of them is particularly ready to be a parent. Nor are either all that willing. Circumstances are working against them, however, so they have to. This doesn't mean they will be good at it or that they will even consider Yahna when they do things. Yeah, they'll get better at this _over time_ but it takes some getting use to. 

A few notes, now. For a long time, children use to sleep with their parents. There are many places where they still do. In the show, you'll notice that Shippo is usually sleeping with Kagome and sometimes Kirara or Miroku. Yahna is quite insistent that she sleeps with one or both of her parents. This is very much of a safety issue. Not sure what I mean? think back to when you were little and had a nightmare. Chances are, you went to your parent(s) to sleep with them. It made you feel safer. This is kind of Yahna and Shippo's way of looking at it. They're safe and close to people they care about. There are a lot of interesting studies around parents sleeping with their young children, including a number that show it lowers the percentage of infants who die from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). 

Japan is very patriarchal, even today. The father was the head of the household and decided a lot about how the family was run. Every family had to have a male as head of the household. If the father died, his son took over, not his wife. Now, knowing this, why is Inuyasha more concerned about Yahna's relationship with Kagome than with him? ... besides trying to get rid of his responsibilities to her. He never really knew his father. He has no knowledge of that relationship and (in my mind) wouldn't view it as the most important. He lived with his mother for years and I think he would view that as the more important relationship. That was the one that mattered most to him, anyway. 

For the things Inuyasha learned last time: 1) When Yahna moves like that, she has got to go and she has got to go _now._ 2) Yahna is a little more clever than he thought. 3) Don't chase Yahna in the house. You wont win. 

Other things people pointed out that he probably at least notice: Yahna like being dizzy (most little kids do) (Sashlea). He shouldn't make Kagome mad (AkuReiX) but I think Inuyasha already knew that. Yahna however, didn't. She's gained some insight. He learned "women's work" is not always easy (Giggles19701)... or at least taking care of children isn't easy. 

You don't have to kiss my feet, Pantwinny. I'd continue anyway. 

He's gonna learn _way_ more than that from Yahna-chan, Caliko. 

Sorry. Didn't mean to get you sat, Leo. Ouch. 

Well, that's all for now. See you next chapter, in which Yahna goes exploring and has some interaction with Kagome's mom. Later. 


	15. Explorations

As much as he denied it outloud, he thought Yahna was cute. In fact, she was probably one of the cutest children he had ever laid eyes on. From her rounded puppy ears, the slightly rosy cheeks, down to her tiny toes, she was cute. This was especially true when she slept. She wasn't being noisy or nosy, and certainly not clingy when she slept. She just lay there peacefully with an innocent smile on her face, devoid of any fear of the waking world. 

Inuyasha traced a finger delicately across her cheek. Yahna let out a slight, rumbling purr. He smiled. So easy to please... 

"Otoo-sama," she moaned as she woke. He froze. The child slowly extracted herself from the sleeping Kagome's arms and sat up. She blinked, yawned, and stretched, then looked over the adolescent girl to Inuyasha. He still had his arms wrapped around Kagome but was now resting his chin on her shoulder. Yahna smiled and placed her hands on either side of her. "Otoo-sama." 

"Yeah, yeah. I'm still here, whelp," he grunted and looked away. With her improving sense of balance, Yahna stood and leaned over to him. An innocent kiss was placed on his nose and his eyes went wide. Yahna giggled and plopped back down on the bed. _Huh? Why... What... I... Did... Wha... Huh?!_

"Otoo-sama," she stated rather proudly. Her azure eyes flickered to the sleeping girl in front of her. "Okaa-sama." She nuzzled against Kagome until the girl started to rouse. 

Fearful of the Japanese girl's reaction to waking with him there, Inuyasha lifted his arm and head away from her. He tried to scoot back but found himself already pressed against the wall. The last thing he wanted was to get sat for being where she had willingly let him stay. 

"Okaa-sama!" Yahna purred as she nuzzled harder. 

"Ohayo, Inuyahna," Kagome groaned and pushed the girl back. She suddenly realized she was pressed up against something big and warm. Curious, she looked over to see Inuyasha trying to keep as much of himself from touching her. His expression suggested he expected to get subdued. _When did... oh... yeah._ "Ohayo, Inuyasha." 

The hanyou relaxed considerably and lowered his arm. However, he kept right against his side so he was still touching her as little as possible. He didn't put it beyond her to still sit him. 

"Ohayo Okaa-sama, Otoo-sama," Yahna chirped. 

Both adolescents froze. Their eyes shifted to the girl. "O-ohayo," Inuyasha studdered and continued to stare. 

Beep. Beep. Beep. Inuyasha turned his attention to the offending piece of technology and growled. Yahna latched on to Kagome with lightening speed. A fearful expression covered the little girl's face. 

Kagome lightly elbowed him in the ribs. "Stop it, Inuyasha!" she scolded. "It's just my alarm clock and you're scaring Inuyahna." Deft fingers reached over and touched a long, round button on the top. "See. No harm done." 

"Shut up and get up already!" he sneered. 

She gave him an annoyed glare. "This is _my_ bed, you know." 

"Keh!" 

Kagome let out a disgruntled sigh. "Whatever." She pried Yahna off and sat up. The girl gave an exaggerated stretch, popping a few stiff joints. Inuyasha watched her out of the corner of his eye, restraining a slight sigh as she moved. Of course, pretended not to notice. 

"Okaa-sama..." 

The teenage girl flinched. "Eh, we really need to talk about that name, Inuyahna-chan." 

"You can start by not calling her Inuyahna," Inuyasha snorted. 

"Inu..." 

"You said you'd stop calling her that if I stopped calling her an it. Well, I stopped. You stop too." 

"And what would you have me call her?" 

"Yahna, like everyone else does. She's doesn't deserve to be called an inu." 

"You got that right. She's too sweet and innocent," Kagome retorted. 

"Shut up!" 

Kagome ignored him and turned back to the curious little girl. "_Yahna_-chan, please don't call me okaa-sama." 

Yahna wrinkled her nose and folded her arms together. "Okaa-sama!" 

"She's not going to stop. You're stuck being okaa-sama as much as I'm otoo-sama," Inuyasha snorted. The tree pup nodded in agreement. 

"Calling a parent 'sama' is too formal. And I'm saying I'm her okaa-san, so don't even start, Inuyasha." 

"Keh!" 

She turned her attention down to the child. "Yahna-chan, don't call me okaa-sama..." 

"Okaa-sama!" she stated stubbornly. 

"How about Okaa-chan? Is that alright?" 

"Okaa-sama!" 

Inuyasha snickered as he propped up his head with his hand. Kagome glared at him. He made a serious face and looked away. She let out a sigh. "What about Okaa-san. It's just like..." 

"Okaa-sama!" 

The was a light knock on Kagome's door. "Breakfast will be ready soon, Kagome." 

"Alright, Mama!" she replied. "Yahna-chan, you're being... Wait! That's it! Call me mama." 

"Okaa..." 

"It means the exact same thing, but it's quicker to say." 

This caught Yahna's attention. She peered up at Kagome curiously. "Ma... ma?" 

"Yes, mama." 

Yahna's brow knit as she went in to deep thought. "Mama... mama... mama..." After a moment, she looked up at Kagome and smiled. "Mama!" 

Inuyasha's hand slipped out from under his head. He stared in shock. "What the hell?! That's not fair!" _No one knows what that means except Kagome!_

"It's perfectly fair," Kagome retorted. 

The hanyou growled in annoyance and looked away as he pouted. Kagome sighed and got up. She gathered up her school clothes quickly so she could go change in the bathroom. Inuyasha snorted and stretched out on the bed, pulling Yahna on his chest. 

"Keh, more room without her anyway," he grunted to the child. 

Kagome shot him a glare as she left, but said nothing. He was being affectionate to Yahna for the moment, and she didn't feel like interrupting that for his childish comment. 

  
~~~~~ 

Inuyasha grumbled as he watched Yahna building something out of strange pieces of... ah... well, he wasn't sure what they were made out of. Kagome had called them 'legos', but he wasn't really sure what that meant. He supposed it didn't really matter so long as the pup was entertained, but it made his afternoon rather boring... especially since the cat had taken to disappearing whenever he came over. 

"Otoo-sama?" 

"What?" She held something made out of the red and white legos. He eyed her curiously. "What is it?" 

"Otoo-sama!" 

"You don't really think about much else, do you?" She shook her head. Inuyasha sighed and pulled the child up in to his lap. "Alright, I'm going to ask you a question, pup, and I expect an answer. Why am _I_ your otoo?" 

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Otoo-sama Otoo-sama." 

"Right..." he groaned. "You really need to learn more words." He grabbed the legos and held them up in front of her face. "This is a toy. Can you say that?" 

"Otoo-sama?" 

"No, this isn't an otoo-sama. What is it?" 

"Otoo-sama..." She looked up at his face. 

He put the legos right in front of her face. "No, these. Right here in front of you. What I'm holding. What is it? Say toy." 

"Otoo..." 

Inuyasha grumbled in annoyance. "Can't you say anything besides that?" 

"Otoo-sama?" 

The child was pushed back on the floor. "Never mind." He got up and started to walk out the room. She immediately abandoned the legos and tromped after him. "Stay here," he snorted. "I'll be right back." The child stared at him for a moment, then toddled back to the legos. 

Yahna sighed as she looked over the building things. They were neat, yes, but she'd been playing with them most of last night and all morning. Now they were getting kind of boring. She wanted to run around like she did with Shippo-chan, but no one else wanted to. Mama had left that morning while yelling at Otoo-sama. All Otoo-sama wanted to do was sit around. Of course, she couldn't really blame him. He kept falling on his face whenever Mama was around... especially when she was mad. Falling hurt and since he fell more than she did, she could understand why he didn't like standing much. 

Yahna glanced down at the legos again. She had no other toys to play with. Maybe Mama has more somewhere... 

Azure eyes traveled around Kagome's bed room. They paused on the girl's desk. Mama was always doing interesting things up there. There must have been a whole bunch of fun things. Mama wouldn't spend so much time doing things on the top if there wasn't. All Yahna had to do was get up. 

She eyed the chair, guessing the distance from the seat to the desk top. True, she could just jump all the way up, but she had tried that yesterday and ended up sliding on some thin white stuff Mama put strange black pictures on. Otoo-sama had gone after her and slipped to, preventing him from catching her. Going up the chair seemed like a safer idea. 

Abandoning the legos, Yahna toddled over to the chair. She crouched down and sprang up. _Oops. Too high,_ she thought as she went right over it. Yahna put a finger to her mouth as she watched it go under her. Then she turned to look to see just where she was going to land. Her trajectory put right on course with the window... the open window. 

Yahna yelped and her hands shot out in front of her. Her fingers snagged on to the side of the window, jerking her to a halt. All the muscles in her arms strained as the motion was stopped. When she had pulled herself back in and had her feet firmly planted on the window sill, the child let out a deep sigh of relief. 

Now safe from direct harm, her attention refocused on the desk. From her view point, she could easily see on top of it. There were lots of thin white things on the top with a few 'book' things there too. She'd have to do this a little more carefully if she didn't want to go sliding off the edge again. This time, Yahna took a little more care in her aiming and strength. She leaped... 

Little hands shot out frantically as she realized she was just going to miss. They wrapped around some strange black rope. Yahna tumbled to the ground. There was a loud thunk next to her. When the stun from the fall wore off, she sat up and rubbed her sore backside. Curious, the girl looked over the object that had fallen with her. 

_The magic light making thing!_ Mama used that when it got dark out. It was much brighter that a fire. She lifted the cord and the base of the light making thing lifted a little as well. She let go of the cord and it clunked on the ground. O_h! So it's attached to the magic light making thing._

Her attention once again turned back to the desk. _Alright! This time! _She crouched and leaped. This time she was over the desk. Her feet connected with the desk at a slight angle, then flew out from beneath her as papers went flying. She landed on her bottom with a small yip, but wasn't harmed. Now finally on the top of the desk, she set about exploring. 

The first thing her fingers came across was a little thick, pink square thing. She picked it up. The object was very flexible but solid in the middle. There were little lines all around the side. She ran a finger down the edge and it split apart where the lines were. Little fingers pinched the top slip... and it came off! Even more curious, she examined it closer. It felt just like the white things Mama wrote on, only smaller and a different color. She placed the tip in her mouth, then pulled it out and stuck out her tongue. _Tastes like white things._ Her fingers traced around the edges. One side was sticky. She licked the sticky stuff. _Eeeewwwww..._ Yahna shrugged and stuck it to her chest. It stayed there. She smiled and pulled off a few more, sticking them in various other places on her clothes. The rest were discarded off the side of the desk. 

Next, she went for one of the book things. Her eyes instantly went for the one with a bright cover and people on it. There were two girls on it and they were wearing clothes sort of like Mama's when she left in the mornings. The child flipped it open and scanned through the pages. Oh, there were pictures in this one... lots of pictures. All of Mama's other books were mostly full of strange pictures she called 'kanji', but this one actual had people. And they were walking... in a place with big buildings and few trees and no grass... Oh, there was a boy too. He didn't look very happy... and all the word pictures were really big around him. Oh, the girls were yelling back. _Why? _She flipped a few more pages but the pages didn't really tell her what was going on. In fact, they just made things more confusing. There was a floating bowl of rice in a cloud over one of the girl's head while the girl looked like she was drooling in one picture. She flipped much further ahead and saw one of the girls sitting in water. All of her clothes were gone. _Oh, Mama has those... but hers are much smaller..._ Getting bored with the picture book, she tossed it aside. 

Her hands came across a small box with a picture of a flower on it. She tried to lift the lid, but it wouldn't come open. Yahna picked it up and placed it on her lap. Then she tried opening it again. The top still wouldn't budge. She pulled harder. It wouldn't budge. Harder... harder... Phsssh!! 

The top was jerked off and its contents flew everywhere. Strange objects landed all around her and on the floor. Her eyes scanned over them. She discarded the broken box and went for the items. She knew some of them. The long, yellow ones with the gray point were called 'pin-sils' and were made for writing. The little metal things that were shaped like rectangles with rounded edges were used for keeping thin white things together. Oh, but that one was new. 

The new object looked like a 'pin-sil' but was gray and shiny. One end had something clear over it with a thin gray thing inside. She picked it up. It was cold too... like metal. Yahna placed the end in her mouth. Tasted like metal, but this wasn't smooth like the other stuff. This one had a bumpy texture and didn't feel good against her tongue. She pulled it out and examined it carefully. It was kind of heavy... not like the 'pin-sils'. 

Clawed fingers traced up it until it came to the clear thing over one end. It looked sort of like glass, but it didn't feel like it at all. She gave a tug on it and it came right off. She tasted the clear thing. It tasted odd, and she couldn't quite place it. It almost tasted like the 'legos' but not as bumpy and a little more... what was that taste called? She spit it out and examined the thing it was covering. It was also metal, but very, very thin. The tip came to a point and one side was very fine, sort of like Otoo-sama's claws. _Wonder if it's sharp..._ She pointed the tip towards her hand... 

Her nose twitched. _Oh, what's that?_ Something nearby smelled really good. Her tummy gave a rumble. She hopped off the desk and the metal thing was discarded. Following her nose, she made her way towards the 'kit-chen' thing where all the food was made by Mama's Mama. Sure enough, there was Mama's Mama stirring something in a pot. Yahna toddled over and gave a tug on the woman's skirt. 

Mrs. Higurashi peered down at the child curiously. "Oh my. Where did all those post-it notes come from?" She reached down and scooped Yahna up in her arms. Gentle hands pealed off the pieces of pink paper. "Were you playing with things on Kagome's desk?" Yahna nodded. "Oh, I see. Yahna-chan, you shouldn't..." 

"What are you doing down here?" Inuyasha demanded as he stomped into the kitchen. "I told you to stay put, pup." 

Mrs. Higurashi smiled and handed the girl to him. "She must have smelled dinner being started. Actually, I need to make a quick run out to get some more vegetables. Would you mind if I took her with me?" 

The older hanyou gave her a confused look. "If you really want... but Kagome said not to go outside..." 

The woman just gave him a knowing smile. 

~~~~~

"I'm home," Kagome called in a less than cheery voice as she came in the door. There was no answer. Her shoes were slipped off, and she walked deeper in the house. "Is anyone home?" 

"Just me," Inuyasha stated as she came into the living room. In his hands was a less than pleased Bouyo struggling to get away. 

"Inuyasha, let him go!" He shot her a glare. She matched it with an unspoken promise of being sat. The hanyou snorted and released the cat. Bouyo darted off with no intention of coming back anytime soon. Kagome flopped down next to him. "Where's everyone else?" 

Inuyasha thought for a moment, trying to remember where everyone had gone. "Souta left with you this morning and hasn't been back yet. Your jiji was muttering something about youkai legends, but I haven't seen him since, and your okaa-san took the pup out somewhere with her." 

"Oh. So it's just us," she observed rather dryly. 

"Yeah, so? Been just us before." 

Kagome rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure she'd done well on her biology test and wasn't really interested in fighting. Honestly, she had been hoping playing with Yahna would take her mind off it for a while. Oh well. She grabbed her books and carried them to her room. Kagome opened the door and froze. 

Her desk was a mess. Pens, pencils, paper, and paper clips were all over the floor. The top of her pencil box had been broken off and tossed on the floor while the bottom half was upside down on the desk. One of her manga had been tossed on the floor along with her sticky notes. Other books had flopped over and two had fallen off the side. 

The school girl whirled around. "Inuyasha!!" 

"What?" he snapped irritably. 

"Sit!" 

There was a loud 'umf' from the living room. Kagome growled and turned back to her room, muttering. _What did he think he was doing, tearing my room apart like this! Really! Doesn't he have any restraint?!_ She was picking up the items on the floor, when she spotted her exacto knife without the cap on. Curious, she picked it up and examined it. There was a small set of teeth marks in it... too small to be Inuyasha's. 

"What the hell was that for!?" the hanyou snapped as he barged in to the room. She looked over at him with a very odd expression. "What?" She held up the exacto knife, showing him the small teeth marks. "Eh? Where..." 

"Yahna?" 

"The pup? Why would she bite in to one of your school tools? Maybe that baka cat of yours did it." 

"Bouyo doesn't bite exacto knives." 

"Oi, I was here the whole time. I watched her. She wasn't out of my sight for more than a few moments..." 

"You left her alone!?!" 

"Only for a few minutes..." 

"SIT!!!" 

"Erk!"

_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Kanji_ = japanese characters used for writing 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Yahna, as I have come to know her since I started this, is one of those children you really just can't leave alone. She's far too curious. Hey, at least Inuyasha is getting along better with her, right? 

To answer the question of whether or not Yahna will learn more words, the answer is yes. She will have to. She's just learning them in order of importance (to her anyway). Besides, once she really starts picking up language, you're gonna wish she hadn't. 

What's men's work? Good question, Shinigami-Sama1. That will be something addressed later... 

Fate Bringer, true Inuyasha is an adult by feudal standards. However, there have been hints in the show that Inuyasha didn't really have much contact with people for most of his life. He is certainly not very socialized (a hint that he probably wasn't around people much) since he behaves a lot like a middle school student. He doesn't strike me as the type of observing people who don't have something he wants. Also, in those times, very small children were almost always with their mother during the day. Men don't take as big a role until they get a bit older (about Yahna's appearance age). This is the stand that I'm taking with Inuyasha. He doesn't really know what he's doing and it's going to take time to learn. Parenting is something that is taught, usually by one's own parents (not directly, but observed as one grows up). He only had a mother, so this has led to some of his biases. Besides, makes it more interesting if he has to learn and figure things out. 

Badgerwolf, thank you for the complement. I'm trying to use some of what I know about teen parents but keep it in their personalities. Not always easy. Of course I will reveal what is up with Yahna... later. Be patient, young badger. 

Souta is a 4th or 5th (maybe 6th) grader, from what I can tell. He would have legos, not duplo blocks, Dragon Man 180. I did say they were his, I'm sure. 

Ba-chan or Ba-san are how you say grandma in Japanese, MalletWielderofDoom. 

That's all for now. I'm off to enjoy my spring break. I'll put up a story when I come back. Tell then. 


	16. Enter the thief & a lost crane

"Mama! Mama!" Yahna cried as she raced up the stairs. 

"Oi, your pup's back," Inuyasha snorted from his usual perch on Kagome's bed. She shot him a glare, but let Yahna in her bed room anyway. 

The child didn't waste a second. She leaped into Kagome's arms and snuggled against the older girl's throat. Dressed in the same purple dress from the day before, now with an oversized hat on, Yahna almost looked just like any other child you might see on the street. Kagome giggled at the child's affection. She carried Yahna back to her desk and sat, putting the child in her lap. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Inuyasha's smug grin. She turned up her nose and focused her attention on the task at hand. 

"Yahna-chan," she said gently as she picked up the exacto knife, "Do you see this?" The pup nodded. "Were you playing with this earlier?" Again, Yahna nodded. Kagome let out a disappointed sigh. The child blinked curiously. "Yahna-chan, you can't play with this, alright? It's very dangerous. You might hurt yourself, and I don't want you to get hurt. Do you understand?" She nodded. "Good. Now, please don't play on my desk either. You'll break things and mess up my homework and I don't own all of these books. I have to pay to replace them. Okay?" Yahna nodded. "Good girl." Kagome gave Yahna a pat on the head, making the girl smile. 

Yahna scooted up to the desk and pointed to the paper Kagome had been writing on. "What?" she demanded with a playful grin. 

Her appointed parents stared at her, dumbfounded. 

Mrs. Higurashi peered in the door. "She learned a few new words while we were out. She's quite eager for knowledge," the woman explained as she brought Yahna's kimono in. The adolescents blinked as the woman left. 

"What?" Yahna demanded more forcefully. 

Kagome and Inuyasha's attention was pulled back to the child. "Paper," Kagome stated. 

"P-paaa-paaa-peeerrr. Paper! Paper, paper, paper!" the child sang out. 

"Yes, paper." 

Little fingers pointed to the pink post-it notes. "What?" 

"Post-it notes." 

"Poooo-sssss-tiiit nooo-tesss. Post-it notessss. Post-it notes." 

A smile crept up Kagome's features. "Yes, post-it notes. I use them to write down quick notes or mark places in my books." She pulled the text book closer and flipped to a page she had marked with a post-it. "See. This helps me find information I need much faster..." 

_And she doesn't think it's woman's work,_ Inuyasha mentally grunted as he watched the two at the desk. _That is exactly how it should be. A female is supposed to teach her whelp, not pass it off to someone else._

Kagome reached for Yahna's hat. The child clamped both her hands on the brim and yanked it down as far on her head as it would go, covering half her face. "Mine!" she snapped. 

The adolescent girl jerked her hands back. "Alright. You can keep it." 

"Kagome dear," Mrs. Higurashi called from down stairs, "Your friends Eri-chan, Yuka-chan, and Ayumi-chan, are here." 

Her whole body went rigid. "Why now?" she moaned to herself. Kagome set Yahna back down on the floor and hurried out to greet her friends. "Don't let her leave," Kagome stated to Inuyasha just before she left. He just snorted. 

"What?" Yahna inquired as she toddled to the door. Inuyasha shrugged and peered out as well. 

Three girls dressed in school uniforms stood by the door of the Higurashi home. Kagome forced a smile on as she walked up. "Uh, hi, what are you guys doing here?" she asked in a disturbingly calm voice. 

Eri was the first to speak up. "You ran out so fast after school, you forgot your history book..." 

~~~ 

Yahna poked her head out the door and stared wide eyed down the hall. Something was going on down there. There were three new voices and three faint new smells. New smells meant new things to see. New things to see meant fun. 

The child toddled out of the room. A pair of clawed hands swiped at her back, just barely missing her. 

"Damn it!" Inuyasha snapped as he watched the child toddle towards the stairs. From early on, Kagome had made it rather clear he wasn't suppose to be seen by anyone. While he frequently ignored this rule, especially when Kagome's okaa-san asked him... 

"Kaaawwwaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiii!" three female voices rang out. 

...he really didn't want to encounter her friends from school. 

"Great. Just what I need: a pack of screeching wenches," the hanyou grumbled to himself. 

~~~ 

"She's adorable!" Yuka squealed as she scooped the curious child up in her arms. A wide eyed Yahna stared at the girl's face. "Hello there little angle." Yahna moved her fingers up and down in a childish wave. 

"Kawii," Ayumi purred. 

Eri reached for the hat still on Yahna's head. The child's hands clamped down on the brim. "Mine!" she stated forcefully. 

"Yes, Yahna-chan, it's yours," Kagome quickly agreed as she took the little girl. The child eagerly snuggled up to Kagome. 

"She's who you're babysitting?" Eri inquired. 

"Um, yeah," Kagome responded, slightly embarrassed. 

"You're so lucky," Ayumi sighed. "Can I hold her?" Before Kagome could respond, Yahna was leaning forward with her arms stretched towards Ayumi. She took Yahna, who snuggled up to the new person right away. "Kawii." 

Suddenly remembering the reason they had come in the first place, Eri turned her attention back to Kagome. "So, Kagome, you forgot your history book and we thought you might need it to study for tomorrow's test..." 

"And while we were walking home," Yuka interrupted, "We thought it'd be great if we all studied together, especially for you since you're always sick and all..." 

"But if you're busy..." 

"No no!" Kagome broke in. "I really need to study and help would be wonderful." The other girls glanced at Yahna, then back at Kagome skeptically. "We can study here. Mama wouldn't mind. Besides, having three more people watch her would make things easier." 

~~~ I

nuyasha had crept out of the room and watched the girls go off in to another room. He creeped down stairs and peered in the room. _Great, they have their magic books,_ he sarcastically sighed in his mind. In one corner of the room, the girl with the curly black hair sat with the tree pup on her lap. Yahna was playing with some of the girl's hair, seemingly content. _At least the brat's out of my hair for a few hours._ Quietly, he snuck back up stairs. He gave one quick glance around Kagome's room before slipping out her window to find a good, quiet place to nap. 

~~~~~

The sun was warm and nice. Spring was here and the trees were blooming again. Gentle breezes swayed the trees, tickling the new leaves and blooming flowers. Birds were singing their praises to the world. All around it was a perfect day to sit around and relax. 

Miroku sighed. His hands were tucked behind his head while he reclined against a tree. A bright red hand print covered one cheek. The day had started off good. He had flirted with several young ladies in the village who had taken a liking to him since he had met with Inuyasha and Kagome. Then he got in a good pat on Sango. He smiled at the fond memory. Yes, this day had been quite good so far. Now, he was about to take a nice nap. Could things get any better? 

"Oi, Houshi-sama," a young voice called. 

The monk smiled. Had one of the girls in the village sent their little brother or little sister to fetch him? The girls couldn't possibly want him back so soon, could they? 

"If you have come at the bidding of your onee-san, tell her that I need a break. Using my spiritual powers to read her palm takes a lot of energy out of me." 

"Onee-san? Nani? I don't have an onee-san," the child stated plainly as their shadow blocked the monk's light. Curious, Miroku peeked open his eyes and stared at the child before him. 

Standing all of three and half feet tall was a youkai. Not just any youkai. A young _wolf_ youkai in human form. The boy appeared to be about the same age as Shippo, only a little taller. A pair of white wolf ears peeked out from his short light mahogany hair. His grass green eyes sparkled with delight. Both hands were held behind his back. Wrapped around his body was a girl's kimono tied with a piece of robe around the waist. The clothes had to be at least three sizes to big, and the bottoms of the sleeves dragged on the muddy ground. Poking out the back was a fluffy white wolf tail that wagged eagerly back and forth. 

Miroku bolted straight up in shock. He rubbed his eyes, blinked several times, and even pinched himself. This was definitely real. There was, most certainly, a young wolf youkai before him grinning like a cat with a rat. The monk just about had a heart attack. Wolves** NEVER** left their children unattended for any reason. 

As he looked over the boy a second time, he started to calm down a bit. Wolves always dressed their children in sturdy furs, not oversized kimonos. Dirt on the boy's face and body suggested he hadn't been washed recently, and he didn't look to well fed either. All of these added up to an orphaned wolf pup. Yet, the boy didn't seem the least bit afraid of him, leading the monk to conclude that whatever had happened to the child's pack had nothing to do with humans. 

"Konichiwa," Miroku stated very calmly. 

"Konichiwa, Houshi-sama. Beautiful day, is it not?" 

"Yes, it is..." 

"A perfect day, actually," the boy continued, interrupting Miroku. "In fact, it's even a lucky day... for you." Miroku raised a curious eyebrow. "You see, I have a deal you can't refuse. In my possession are two valuable, delicious, TURNIPS!" He pulled his hands out from behind his back and proudly showed them off. Miroku frowned. The vegetables looked pretty old, to say the least. "Today, and today only, I'm offering you a chance to own both these _beautiful_ turnips for the low low price of 5, I repeat 5, mon." 

The monk gave the child a disbelieving, slightly annoyed, stare. "You're kidding, right?" 

"Absolutely not," the child stated. "Normally I would charge 10 mon for them, but since I like you so much, I've slashed the price right in half. After all, you are a servant of Buddha, an honest, pious, hard working man. How could I do anything but slash the price?" 

"Why are they slimy?" 

"That's not slime. It's a sheen of good health." 

"What's that green stuff growing on them?" 

"Seasoning." 

"And what about the hole in this one?" Miroku asked as he pointed to a worm hole on one of the vegetables. 

"To help it cook faster." 

He eyed the boy. "I wouldn't eat those if you paid me a hundred mon." 

"Really?" the boy asked in a voice filled with disappointment. 

"Really." 

"Are you sure? They're only five mon." 

"Do I look stupid to you?" 

"Um, well... no more so than anyone else..." 

"Exactly, now, why don't..." 

"Houshi-sama!" 

The monk jerked his head around to see Sango running towards him. He frowned again and stood. "Something wrong?" he inquired as she stopped in front of him. 

She nodded. "Yeah. There's some people here looking for a young wolf hanyou. They said he was stealing food, money, and clothes from their village. They're looking to drag him back and kill him for it." 

"Hanyou? Oh, that would explain..." He turned to look at the boy only to find the boy gone. 

"Explain what?" 

Miroku scratched his head. "Hm. Now that's odd. Where'd he go?" 

"Who go?" 

"The boy... Our little thief... He was right here a moment ago..." 

~~~~~

A green herb with the roots still attached was held up to her by dirty hands. The child gave her a proud smile. "Is this the one, Miko-sama?" the boy asked the woman kneeling in the grass. 

Kikyo smiled gently. "Yes, can you find more? I need a lot to treat people." He nodded proudly and tromped off to do as she asked. Her dark chocolate eyes turned back to the plants before her. 

She had been at this village for several days now. Many of the people were ill and she been asked to help. Kikyo had agreed since she could still find no trace of where Naraku was hiding. This had proven to be a wise decision. She was able to cure many, and for those that she could not, she harvested their soul to sustain herself. The people were all kind and the children had all been willing to help her replenish her diminishing stocks of herbs. 

It was so much like before. So calm and peaceful. So... perfect? No, not perfect. _Nothing is perfect,_ she told herself. _Nice... yes, nice... but it's missing..._

"Youkai!" two of the children screamed as they came running back to her. Kikyo instantly grabbed her bow and notched and arrow. The other four children had quickly gathered around behind her. 

"Where?" the miko demanded. 

"That way," one boy said as he pointed towards the trees. "It's over there." 

"Stay here," she told them. 

"Be careful, Miko-sama," a second boy whispered. 

She gave them a small nod and walked to where the boy had pointed. 

The area was covered in growth. Moss covered most of the tree and fresh grass hid the roots. Thick, thorned bushes covered the ground, hiding most of the ground. 

When she walked a full circle around the area and saw nothing, she frowned in confusion. The children had sounded sincere in their claim, yet she saw no youkai and felt no evil. _Perhaps it was a young kitsune or tanuki playing a trick..._

Rustle. Rustle. Snort. 

Kikyo whirled around, arrow, ready. The thorned bush rustled again. She waited, hoping it would decide to come out. When the bushes rustled several more times with no sign of the creature, she cautiously approached it. Pushing the branches aside, she peered down at the creature making the noise. 

Brown eyes met dark ebony eyes. Cream feathers stood on end on top of a mostly human head. A sharp human-ish face focused on her. It blinked. Then, suddenly, it clamped its pudgy three fingered hands over its eyes. Attached to its arms were a pair of oversized cream colored wings. Plush feathers covered the rest of its mostly human body down to its ankles. The creature's feet looked almost human, save for the fact the whole appendage curled far more than a normal human's foot would have. 

The undead miko's cold eyes turned slightly soft as she curiously looked at the poor creature. Its features suggested it was a young child. Judging from the places were chunks of feathers were missing, it had also recently lost its protection from other youkai. Carefully, she set her bow aside and knelt down. It jerked back, trembling. 

"I will not harm you," she told it. 

It peeked between its fingers, regarding her cold features. Tears were welling up in its large, frightened eyes. Cautiously, it scooted back, then flinched and hissed through its teeth. It was then that she notice a piece of rope was firmly wrapped around one ankle. The soft feathers had been worn away, showing bare, blood stained skin. Crimson liquid oozed from the leg, dripped down to its foot and staining the ground around it. 

"Would you like me to remove the rope?" She reached a little closer. Again, it covered its eyes, but it made no moves to try and attack or escape. As gently as she could, she untied the animal snare. "There. You are free. Would you like me tend to the wound as well?" 

It moved both hands from its eyes this time. Small tears leaked down over its cheeks, though it made no sounds of crying. Hesitantly it nodded. 

The miko turned back towards the village children, who, despite her words, had followed her. "Bring some of the herbs you found." 

"We're helping it?" the eldest child asked in disbelief. Kikyo didn't bother answering. She merely turned her attention back to the injured being. "But it's a youkai!" 

"It is a hanyou, not a youkai," she corrected. 

"But..." 

"It has also done nothing to warrant concern and there is no reason it should be left to suffer. Go retrieve the herbs." 

The boy gave a disgruntled sigh, but did as he was told. 

_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Konichiwa_ = good day, good afternoon 

_Mon_ = money used in Japan during the feudal era. Mostly it was importated from China, but money wasn't used near as much as trade. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Aren't hanyous cute? Sure, most people don't like them, but they're still cute. And yep, Yahna is starting expand her vocabulary. Be afraid. Be very afraid. I would like to say, though, that this is the first time I have ever had people e-mail me telling me how much they like my writing and asking me to update. It's very weird... cool, but weird. I'm also Tealya-sama? Cool. :D 

Sesshoumaruissofine, sorry, I thought most people knew what kanji was. I added it to the last chapter in the Japanese words section. As for the book, it was just a random manga. Nothing in particular. 

Shinigami-Sama1, whatever manga you want it to be. Also, in a few episodes (mostly the later ones), Inuyasha is shown tormenting that poor cat. As someone who is owned by cats (since cats own people, not the other way around), I can assure that cat would avoid him. 

FluffysBijin05, it's alright. It's hard to describe an exacto knife when they're are so many different kinds. I just described the kind I was most familiar with. 

MalletWielderofDoom, glad I could help. 

And to everyone who wished me a good spring break, thank you. I had a pretty good time and got some work done on my comic too. Sadly, no matter how hard I tried, one of the main male characters came out bishounen (pretty boy). I really tried not to make him bishounen too. *sigh* 

Well, I'm off... my rocker, but that's not the point. Tune in next chapter, titled _Why hanyous and video games don't mix_. Later. 


	17. Why hanyou & video games don't mix

I don't own Pokémon or gameboy. They belong to nintendo. I own two of the pokémon games as well as a gameboy. Thankfully, this is as close to my hands they will ever get. Many people would be afriad of my ideas of what to do with Pokémon. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kagome waved good bye to her friends with a proud grin. This afternoon had been perfect. Yahna had been kept busy by one of her friends while the other two helped her study. She felt quite prepared for her last test tomorrow and would be able to go to sleep early tonight. Best of all, Yahna was tired out and had dozed off about an hour ago. 

When her friends were out of sight, the teenager strolled back to living room and gathered her books. She tucked them away in her backpack and headed up for her room. As quietly as she could, Kagome snuck into the room and set her backpack next to her desk. Then she approached the bed to check on the sleeping tree child. 

Yahna was gone. 

The girl let out a strangled groan. _Where'd she go now!?! She was here a few minutes ago!!!_

Slightly panicked, the girl dropped to the floor and checked under her bed. Not there. Her eyes searched the room. Nowhere in sight. She dashed to the door and looked up and down the hall. "Yahna-chan?" 

"She's in here," Souta called from his room. 

Kagome let out a sigh of relief. She headed to her little brother's room and stopped at the door, staring. 

Souta was sitting on his bed with his back against the head board playing his gameboy. That was not an unusual sight. Often times she would find her brother playing some sort of game or another on the little console. That wasn't what surprised her. No, not at all. It was the little girl reclined on his lap watching every move he made that made her do a double take. The young hanyou was completely content staring at the little screen while Souta watched over her shoulder. 

One of Yahna's clawed fingers pointed at the screen. "What?" 

"That's a gaadie," the boy stated calmly. "It's an inu, sorta like you and Inu-nii-chan, except it has stripes like a tiger." 

"Gaa-die?" 

"Yep." 

Kagome blinked, then blinked again. Okay, her little brother was teaching Yahna how to play a video game. Technically that wasn't weird. They were both children and children did play video games with each other. It was just that, when she stared at them, she couldn't help but remember the time Souta had tried to teach Inuyasha how to play. Oh, the hanyou had tried... once. After the twenty second loss to Souta, Inuyasha had gone off to pout, muttering that video games were stupid and not befitting of a warrior. Seeing Yahna learning, and obviously picking it up fairly quickly, was just so ironic. 

A small chuckle escaped the school girl. _Maybe I should try to get Inuyasha to try video games again. He and Yahna are probably on the same ability level._

"I'll watch her, if you want," the boy offered. 

"Thanks Souta. I'll come get you both when dinner's ready." 

"Kay." 

"What?" Yanna asked again. 

"That's a pikachu. He's mine..." 

Kagome giggled again as she went back to her room. 

~~~~~

"Ohhhhhh..." Yanna awed as she stared at the red and white ball presented to her. 

Souta beamed with pride. "Neat, huh? It's one of my own pokéballs. I think this one came with a Myuu in it. I know I lost that one a while ago. It's somewhere around my room, but I can't remember where." He scratched his head and glanced around the room. Noticing Yahna's slightly impatient stare, he asked, "Wanna hold it?" 

Yanna nodded enthusiastically. She cupped her hands and he placed in her eager palms. He smiled and pressed the little button on the front. The top popped up, amazing the child. 

"Works just like a real one," he explained. 

Azure eyes flickered over to the lazy cat sleeping on the bed. A second later, the pokéball was sent flying across the room. It sailed over the cat by, missing by few inches. Buyo ignored it. She whimpered. 

"No, you can't throw it at Buyo. He's not a pokémon. Besides, you have to say 'pokéball go' or it wont work." 

"Ohhhh..." She trotted over to the toy and picked it back up. Carefully, she polished it off and held it back to him. 

"You can play with it, if you want. It wont break all that easy." 

She grinned from ear to ear, then ran out the door. 

~~~~~

"Keh, those toy things are absolutely perfect for a female pup," Inuyasha snorted. Kagome just shrugged as she continued working on homework. From his spot on her bed, he watched the girl work. He had come back a few minutes ago from his long, peaceful nap and was delighted to find Yahna completely occupied with Souta and his 'Vid-e-o' games. "They don't require her to move, yell, or think hard, need no skills, will keep her out of trouble, and completely out of harm's way. It is perfectly safe..." 

**Whack!**

"Pokéball go!" 

A small red and white ball bounced off Inuyasha's head and landed a few feet away on the carpet. Yahna toddled up to it and carefully lifted it from the ground. Her azure eyes flicked over to Inuyasha disappointedly. She pressed the little button on the ball and the top flipped open. Then, she took a deep breath and closed it. Yahna cleared her throat, leaned back slightly and prepared to throw again. Inuyasha growled and glared at her, silently daring her to. The child grinned. 

Yahna launched the ball in the air, yelling at the same time, "Pokéball go!" 

Kagome fell over as she laughed hysterically. 

Inuyasha caught the ball and glared at the child. "What the hell are you doing?!" he snapped. 

"Trying to catch a pokémon," Souta sighed from the door. He looked straight at the confused Yahna. "Inu-nii-chan isn't a pokémon either. There aren't any pokemon outside of the video game." 

Kagome gripped her sides to keep them from bursting as she laughed harder. 

"Shut up!" the slightly blushing hanyou snapped at her. This just made Kagome laugh louder. Inuyasha took a few deep breaths, willing himself not to kill all the people in the room, then glared at Souta. The boy gulped. Inuyasha tossed the ball back to Souta. "And don't give it back, or I'll _break_ it! Got it?!" Souta nodded and ran back to his room. Inuyasha then turned his attention back to Yahna. She grinned nervously. "Come here!" he barked. She flinched and didn't move. "Now!" Slowly the child toddled forward. 

Kagome's laughing died down to a soft giggle and she rolled on to her stomach to watch what he'd do. 

The older hanyou snagged the girl by the back of her hario and dropped her over his knee. 

"Inuyasha!" Kagome suddenly snapped. 

He glared at her. "What?!" 

"Don't you dare hit her!" 

"I'm not going to hit her!" 

"You're going to spank her!" 

"So?" he snorted in annoyance. 

"So, that's hitting, and I'm not letting you hit her!" 

"Buzz off, wench! She's my pup an' I can do what I want with her!" 

"That'll hurt her!" 

"Good. Then she'll learn not to do it again!" 

"She doesn't know any better!" she protested. 

"Not knowing any better wont keep her out of trouble!" he retorted. "You think some youkai's gonna care that she stumbled into his territory because she 'didn't know better'? No! He'll kill her without a second thought!" 

Kagome stood and placed her fists on her hips. "That's why parents keep track of their children! So they don't get into trouble!" 

"Keh!" 

He raised his cupped hand. 

"Sit!" 

Inuyasha went face first into the mattress. The bed let out a loud groan under the strain. Somehow, he kept his knees propped up so his butt was up in the air. Crouched underneath his hips was a very confused and slightly frightened Yahna. 

"Damn it, bitch!" Inuyasha roared when he pulled his face out of the blankets. "If you don't want to hurt her, then don't sit me when I'm holding her! That'll hurt her a hell of a lot more than a little spanking!" 

Kagome snorted. She reached under him, grabbed Yahna, then stormed out of the room, leaving him swearing into the sheets. 

~~~~~

The inu hanyou sighed as he leaned against Kagome's dresser. She was still fuming. He was still pouting. Had there not been a small child in the room, it would have been like usual with them. 

_If she doesn't want me punishing the brat, then why does she keep insisting it's mine?! Keh, females! I'll never understand them. First they tell you it's yours, then claim you can't do whatever the hell you want with it!_ Golden eyes glared at the adolescent girl. _Bitch. She keeps letting the brat get away with whatever she wants. If this is how they raise children in her time, it's a miracle any of them are still alive at all..._

A slight tingling in his spine called his attention above him. Instinctively he reached out and snagged whatever was falling towards him. What he ended up with was Yahna's ankle. Holding her upside down, he lifted her so she was eye level with him. 

"Oi, pup? What do you think you're doing?" he demanded softly. 

Yahna smiled innocently, reached her hands out, and gripped the sides of his face. She nuzzled her nose against his with a slight giggle. 

The hanyou blinked, then sighed. Gently, he lifted her upright and placed her back on the ground. He could feel the weight of Kagome's eyes on him. "Alright, just be more careful," he scolded the child. Kagome nodded and went back to her studies. 

He went back to his brooding. _Keh, I was spanked as a child and I turned out fine. It's that wimpy ototo of her's that's weak. Bet he was never once punished properly as a child because he was 'too little to understand',_ he mentally sneered. _No wonder Kagome's so..._

The tingling sensation returned. He reached up and ended up with a fist full the child's ankle again. As he held her upside down again, he looked eyed her. Instead of looking innocent this time, she looked confused. 

_What is she up to?_ he wondered as he set her back down. This time, he watched the child out of the corner of his eye, careful not to let her realize he was watching. 

For a moment, she did nothing. Then, she glanced at Kagome, at him, then back at Kagome. When she seemed fairly sure she wasn't being watched, she went to one side of the dresser where neither of them could see her. She leaped on top, making little noise, and made sure she wasn't being watched. Then she seemed to be calculating something in her mind. A moment later, she leaped for Inuyasha with one foot extended. 

He caught her by her ankle again and held her upside down. This time he didn't put her down. 

"Otoo-sama?" she questioned. 

"Not until you learn not to jump on people," he half whispered to her so Kagome wouldn't take notice. He didn't want her saying this was 'mean' too. It's not like this was hurting her. Yahna let out a grunt and folded her arms together. "Pout all you want, it's not changing anything." 

"Keh!" she snorted. 

"Keh," he snorted back. 

The child glared at him stubbornly. Then put her hands over her heart and closed her eyes. Curious, Inuyasha held her up so she was eye level with him. She took several deep breaths. Her face scrunched up and her body became tense. 

_What is she...?_

She suddenly flung her hands straight forward, palms out, staring him in the eyes. "Dragu aura!" she cried. 

Inuyasha blinked. She blinked back. 

"Huh?" Inuyasha asked. 

Yahna studied her hands. Then she held them back out. "Dragu aura!" The tree pup's azure eyes grew wide and she frowned. "Dragu aura?" 

Kagome burst out laughing again. Inuyasha glared at her, screaming, "Shut up! It's not funny!" 

"Dragu aura!" Yahna tried again. 

Unable to control herself, Kagome laughed harder. Her body slumped forward on her desk as she fought back tears. 

"Shut up!" 

"Dragu aura?" Yahna whimpered. 

"What the hell is your problem!?!" he yelled at the girl. Yahna flinched and her eyes watered. "Yeah, you better be upset, brat!" She took a deep breath. He clamped a hand over her mouth and grinned evilly. "Oh no. I'm not dealing with that again. You start wailing, and I'll tie you to the tree outside and leave you there until the sun comes up." She whimpered. "Now, you still feel like crying?" he growled. She shook her head. "Good." He removed his hand and dropped her on the floor. She wasted no time in running over to Kagome and leaping into the girl's lap. 

"Inuyasha!" Kagome snapped. 

He put his hands in his sleeves and turned up his nose. "Keh! Yell all you want. The brat has to be punished. She starts crying again, she's going out there and I'm going back through the well. You can deal with her," he snorted. 

"Inu..." 

"The whelp's mine, remember? That is what you were yelling yesterday. And if she's mine, I can do what I want with her," he retorted. 

"She's a child, not property!" 

"My pup, my rules, my discipline," he grunted and turned his back to her. This conversation was over, as far as he was concerned anyway. 

"Should take you to the vet and get you fixed. That'd make sure there weren't any other _'pups of yours'_ to worry about," Kagome grunted to herself. 

Vet? This wasn't a word Inuyasha had heard Kagome use before. He glanced over his shoulder curiously. "Vet?" 

This school girl's face lit up. Then she smiled evilly down at Yahna. "Ah, yes. That's a perfect idea, isn't it Yahna-chan?" Yahna cocked her head to one side and blinked. "Of course, if we took him to the vet, we'd need to fill out an information sheet on him. Let's see..." She rifled through her homework until she came to a blank page. She grabbed her pencil and began writing. "Name: Inuyasha. Sex: male. Age..." She glanced over at the slightly nervous, pink cheeked hanyou. 

"Wha... what'er you doing?" he demanded weakly. 

"Age: young adult (exact years unknown)." 

"And what's that suppose to mean?" 

"Breed?" The chocolate eyes looked him up and down. "Youkai mix. Previous health problems: tends to get injured a lot while fighting." 

Inuyasha was on his feet in an instant. "While protecting you! What're you doing!?!" he barked. 

"Disposition," she continued as if he hadn't spoken at all, "Bad tempered. Fights with people, has a habit of clawing and biting people..." 

"Stop it!" 

".... barks a lot. Should probably be muzzled." 

"No I shouldn't!" 

"Reason for being brought in: Needs to be fixed. Owner's feel this would solve a lot of personality problems." 

The hanyou grabbed the paper and threw it on the floor. He stamped his foot on it, ground it into the carpet, and glared at Kagome. "There's nothing wrong with my personality! I'm not owned by anyone! And I don't need to be fixed! I'm not broken! And all those fights were to protect your sorry ass and fix the problems _you_ caused when _you_ broke the Shikon no Tama!" 

"Note: has a shrill bark." 

"Stop it!" he roared. She started laughing again. He growled and stormed out of the room. "Baka bitch," he grumbled to himself. 

Halfway down the hall he ran into Souta. "Inu-nii-chan, is something wrong?" 

"No... Wait, what's a vet?" he demanded. 

Souta raised a curious eyebrow. "An animal doctor. Why? Is Buyo sick?" 

"Lousy bitch," he grunted. "I'm not an animal..." 

"Nee-chan was going to take you to the vet?! What for?! You're not sick are you?!" the boy cried in shock. 

"No, I'm not sick. She was rambling on about being fixed. I'm not... even..." He trailed off when he noticed a look of horror on Souta's face. "What?" 

"D-do you know what 'fixed' is?" Souta asked in a shaky voice. 

Okay, Inuyasha may not have been the sharpest sword in the batch, but even he knew he was missing something really important here. "What?" 

A crimson blush stained the boy's cheeks. He turned his eyes to the ground and focused on a spot in the carpet. "Uh, well, we got Buyo fixed when he was a kitten so he wouldn't father any kittens..." 

"Buyo's a male!?!" The hanyou's face turned a pale white. "She wouldn't." 

"I'm sure she was only joking," Souta tried to console him. The hanyou whimpered. 

_______________________________________________________________ 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Pokémon_ - a video game. The word is short for pocket monster. The three pokemon referenced are growlith (gaadie), pikachu, and mew (myuu). 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Alright, spanking is an issue we can debate for hours without ever coming to an agreement. I know everyone has their own take on this, so I don't want to get into a debate over it, please. Personally, for those who are curious, I am against spanking since it is a form of hitting someone (hit meaning striking another person, animal, plant, or object). I've seen enough studies that show it raises frequencies of undesired behavior when parent(s) are not around and leads to higher levels of aggression to think it is right. This is my personal belief and I know many people disagree with it. Can we leave it at that? 

I apologize for the long time it took to get this chapter out. I've been buried under homework for a while and still have a ton to get done. Blah. 

Look, people who asked me to update more! I updated! (I had a number of reviews asking me to update.) 

Fate Bringer, I define as spending time with people as not hostile. There isn't a whole lot of evidence that says he has spent time with people that does not involve fighting of some sort. What I saw in the Juninji episode was that he said the only way Juninji would be happy is if people were afraid of him. That was the only way he would be able to live in peace. He probably had some good interaction with people and youkai (like Myoga) before meeting Kikyo, but it is obviously not much. 

*grins sheepishly* Sorry Queeney. It was suppose to say kawaii. Little typo. Thank you for pointing it out. 

Dragon Man 180, thank you. I don't think Kikyo is evil. I think has issues (the whole being brought back from the dead while trying really hard not to thing). Honestly, I will try and portray her as she is in the series. For all of the characters, if they seem OOC, I am sorry. I'm really trying to keep them in character with this fic. 

For the people who asked about the new hanyou: yes there are more of them (wait until you meet some of the others ;) ). Yes, they will be back. Yes, they are important. Yes, this will become clearer later. I promise. It really will. 

Well, that's about it. I have work to go do. I also have to go beat my head against a wall. That seems to have the same effect as doing my homework. Later all. 


	18. Responsibility

Sadly, I do not own ramen. It belongs to the ramen corporation. However, since Inuyasha loves it so much, I am using it in this fic.   
  
Sigh. Now this was how things were suppose to be: Kagome asleep is his arms without a care in the world with his pup nuzzled up against her chest contently. He smiled slightly at the image before him in the early dawn light. They were so peaceful when they were asleep... which was about the only time when either of them were peaceful at all. Well, that wasn't true. There were a few times he could recall when they were together and didn't argue. Times when they would just sit, being friends... and she would look so beautiful. _Why can't there be more of those times?_ he asked himself. 

Yahna grunted in her sleep and rolled onto her back. He brushed his fingers lightly over her forehead. Yeah, he'd thought about having children... once... a long time ago. When he thought he would spend the rest of his life with Kikyo, he had thought about it. Children really would have been inevitable if he'd become human. He would've had to work as a farmer to support them too. When they were old enough, they would have helped him too. Of course, all the children in his mind were boys. He hadn't really thought about having a girl. Yet, here he was, fifty years later than planned with Kikyo a walking corpse and a female pup born from a tree instead of a woman. 

Now that he thought about it, why hadn't he ever thought about having a daughter? It's not like it had never been a possibility. Logically, he would have had at least one female child. Hell, he could have had all daughters. It was possible, after all. Maybe he hadn't thought it manly. After all, one couldn't run around so much with a girl. Girls had to be taught to be good wives for when they grew up, right? They weren't suppose to be climbing trees or fighting or... well, any of that stuff. They were suppose to be... uh... well, he wasn't sure what they were suppose to be, but he was pretty sure it wasn't what boys did. That was the way he had always seen things, anyway. 

Yahna cooed in her sleep, making him smile. Well, having a daughter wasn't so bad. She could be kind of sweet when she wanted to be. _Except she behave more like a boy than girl most of the time,_ he snorted. _Need to break her of that habit._ The golden eyes flickered to Kagome's sleeping face. _Not that she's going to be much help. She doesn't know how to behave like a proper girl either. _

Yahna wiggled a little and purred. _Alright, so she is half youkai, and they behave a little different. She should probably know how to defend herself a little... so long as she knows she's only to use it if I'm not there to protect her. Then and only then._

Inuyasha let out another deep sigh and relaxed, resting his chin lightly over Kagome's neck. He took a deep breath, then restrained a faint rumble. _Gods, why does she have to smell so good all the time?_ He reached his hand up and brushed her cheek, shooing away some of the stray locks of ebony hair. _She's in the middle of a cycle, that's why,_ he mentally grunted. _She always smells good at this time of the month._

He pressed his nose against her neck and inhaled more of her scent. It was like tasting sweet warm saki, relaxing his senses and muscles. Even at a distance, it was a scent that made his body long for more. The hanyou curled up tighter around her, relishing this infrequent treat. He rarely got to be this close to her, especially during this point of the month. The few times he did, she was usually riding on his back into or out of danger. There was one time when Kouga had been there and tried to pull him off Kagome, but that had been different. That had been to piss of the wolf more than anything else, though. 

The hanyou bit back a growl. That was right. Kouga usually showed up when Kagome smelled sweet like this. The filthy wolf always chose the worst of possible times. _That piece of..._ His whole body tensed and he unconsciously pulled Yahna closer to Kagome. _And she just encourages him!_ He wrapped himself even tighter around her. _She should tell him to get lost... or let me beat the crap out of him! That's..._

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! 

Inuyasha nearly jumped out of his skin as the little clock sounded off. He banged his fist on the thing and the sound suddenly stopped. Inuyasha blinked, then grinned proudly. _Ha! Knew it was only a matter of time! If someone as dense as her can can shut those stupid things up, so can I! _

Yahna cooed in her sleep again, this time rolling on to her side so her back was to him. _And this time no disturbing her sleep._

Again, he relaxed. One arm rested over the school girl's waist while the other was comfortably resting under her pillow. Inuyasha beamed. His pup and her okaa-san got all the rest they needed and Kagome wouldn't complain about being tired anymore. If there was nothing to wake her up, she would get all the sleep she needed. In fact, she'd probably even thank him for making it be quiet. After all, she usually whined about it being too early to be up and occasional cursed the small piece of tech... 

Beep! Beep! Be-smack! 

"And stay quiet!" he snapped in a harsh whisper. He snorted and settled back into his earlier position. A few minutes passed while he breathed in her wonderful scent. 

Beep! Beep! B-smack! 

He glared at the offending clock. "Next time I'm throwing you out the window," he threatened the piece of inanimate technology. 

The hanyou snuggled back up against Kagome contently. Yahna squirmed a little under his hand and whimpered like a puppy. He smiled and traced a finger along the side of her pudgy little cheek. The child responded with a high pitched coo in the back of her throat. _Keh, I could get use to this..._

Beep! Beep! Pound! Beep! Be-**SMASH!**

Kagome and Yahna jerked awake. The girls' eyes instantly fell to the now demolished alarm clock. Wires, springs, and pieces of plastic were scattered all around the night stand. A moment later, they felt Inuyasha get up. He grabbed the piece of destroyed machinery, yanked the cord out the wall, opened the window, and hurled it out. He then crawled back into bed, grabbed Kagome, and laid back down on his back. 

Kagome blinked, then blinked again. _What in the...?_ "Inu... yasha...?" 

"I shut the damn thing up... permanently. Go back to sleep," he answered gruffly. 

"Um, alright," she stated in confusion. Her mind was in too hazy and shocked to argue. 

Curious, Yahna climbed over Kagome and onto Inuyasha's chest. He raised a curious eyebrow. She reached one hand out and pat his cheek. "Otoo-sama." 

"Ya know, that word doesn't have more than one meaning," he grunted. 

"With a ten word vocabulary, it does," Kagome sighed with a slight giggle. She sat up and stared at the two with a soft smile on her face. One hand reached out and rubbed Yahna's back. 

Then realization hit. Her expression turned sour. "Inuyasha!" 

He cringed, not sure what he'd done wrong now. "Wh-what?!" 

"You broke my alarm clock! ... Again!" 

"So? Let you sleep longer," he snorted, hiding his disappointment. _She's suppose to be happy, not ticked off and looking like she's going to sit me._

"Longer... Oh no! My history test!" She suddenly rolled out of bed, grabbed her school clothes, and dashed out the door. 

"Oi! Oi!" he called but to no avail. 

Yahna yawned and stretched. She then snuggled into his chest with a blissful smile. Inuyasha stared at her, then sighed, "Damn wench." 

Kagome came running back her room fully dressed. She grabbed all the books and began shoving them in her bag. 

"Your pup's still tired," the hanyou snorted. 

"So let her sleep," Kagome grunted. 

"Sleeping with pups..." 

"Is women's work," she finished for him in a distracted voice while she scanned her desk. "Yes, you've mentioned that. You also said she was yours, not mine..." Finding last night's homework, she shoved it in a folder and into her bag. "...so she's your responsibility, not mine." 

"What?!" he growled. 

She started to run for her door. He was up in a second and grabbed her by her arm, jerking her to a halt. 

"I'm late! I don't have time for this!" 

"You have plenty of time..." 

"I have a test to take!" she snapped, jerking out of his grasp. "You can yell at me when I get back!" She started to move again but was yanked back once more. "Inuyasha...!" 

"She is your pup, bitch, and you're going to take care of her!" 

Kagome let out a feral growl. She grabbed Yahna from him and glowered. "Inuyasha, SIT!" The hanyou hit the ground, making the floor boards creek. She set Yahna down on the floor and glared at his prone form. "I said I don't have time for this and I mean it! You take care of her! She is your responsibility too!" 

"Bitch!" 

"Sit! And I'll be back after school!" She ran out the door, leaving the fuming Inuyasha on the floor. 

Inuyasha growled in frustration. He picked himself off the floor slowly and glared around her room looking for something quick and easy to break that would make a lot of noise. When his eyes landed on Yahna, she whimpered. Taking several deep breaths, the hanyou forced himself to calm down a little. He suddenly grabbed the child, then leaped out Kagome's window. 

"Otoo-sama?" 

"We're going home!" he growled. 

"Otoo-sama, Mama...?" 

"Is a bitch who'd rather spend her time with human boys than you," Inuyasha sneered. He barged into the well house and leaped right in. 

"Mama...?" 

"Hates you," he snorted. 

Yahna's eyes grew large and filled with tears. "Mama hate Yahna?" she whined. 

"That's right," he continued to growl as they landed in the feudal era. "Mama hate Yahna. Why else would she drop you on the floor, yell and scream at you, and spend all afternoon away from you? She hates you, plain and simple." 

He leaped out of the well and into the trees. Yahna started crying. The hanyou quickly found one of his favorite trees away from both the village and well and plopped down on one of the higher branches. He lifted the child high up on his chest and gently nuzzled her face, rumbling very softly. 

"Shhhhh, don't cry, pup," he soothed. "You don't need her. She's just a worthless bitch anyway. We're all better off without her. Besides, I'm still here." He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "And I'm not going to abandon you like she does." 

"Promise?" she whimpered. 

"Promise," he affirmed.   
  
Kagome sighed as she came home. Home was the last place she wanted to be. Knowing Inuyasha, he was probably still sulking and would yell at her first chance he got. _Why does he have to be so stubborn? He just has to watch her for a couple of hours during the day. It's not like I'm asking him to bang his head against the wall all day. It can't be **that** difficult to keep track of a single child... Then again, his track record with her so far isn't too good._

"I'm home," she announced as she stepped inside. 

"Welcome home," Mrs. Higurashi said from the kitchen. 

"Where's Inuyasha?" the girl inquired as she pulled off her shoes. 

"He left shortly after you did." 

The school girl's left eye gave a twitch. "He what?" 

Mrs. Higurashi walked out from the kitchen, wiping her hands off on a towel. "He left, in quite a hurry actually." 

Sigh. "Where's Yahna-chan?" 

"I believe he took her with him since she hasn't been around all afternoon." 

Sigh. "Great..."   
  
Sigh. One finger gently traced down the child's face following the salty trails of her dried up tears while she napped in his arms. "Too little..." he trailed off as he laid his head back against the tree, closing his amber eyes. Wrapping both arms securely around the girl, he draped his sleeves over her like a blanket. 

There was a sudden sting at his neck. Inuyasha slapped at it, then inspected his hand. "I was wondering when you'd show up," he snorted to the flattened flea youkai. 

Myoga instantly bounced back to life. "Inuyasha-sama! How could you not tell me!?" the little creature cried out. 

The hanyou raised a curious eyebrow. "Tell you what?" 

"Oh, how could I have not even known?! Of course, it certainly wasn't obvious... but this explains so much! ... And makes other things more confusing..." the flea trailed off as he sat and pulled out a cup of tea. 

"What are you talking about!?!" Inuyasha demanded in a hushed voice. 

"Why didn't you tell me you and Kagome had wed? If I had known, I would have come for the ceremony!" 

"What!?!" 

"I am your loyal retainer! I wouldn't have protested! I think the match is a good one! She is lovely and wise and keeps my lord happy! She must have already been with child when I first came! How could I have not realized it? The over protective nature, constantly watching her, fighting so much with Kouga to keep him away from her, fighting so much with her, especially over things like safety and other males, never wanting her to return to her country... But you have obviously gone to great length to hide this information. Of course, even with those skimpy clothes, it didn't really show at all. Though she did always seem to eat quite a bit for a human..." 

"I..." 

"I understand of course. I'm certain many of your enemies might want to use this against you and bring harm to your mate. Not letting others know is certainly one way to prevent some harm from coming to her... especially if she were with child. But why did you not tell _me_!?!" 

"Because Kagome's not my mate!" he snapped. 

The flea blinked in confusion. Then, as the information processed through his tiny brain, his eyes went wide with shock. "Then you sired a child without any proper ceremony!?!" the flea yelled in horror. "Oh, Inuyasha-sama, I did not realize you would do such a dishonorable thing and put so much shame on Kagome's family..." 

"I didn't shame Kagome's family!" 

"But I was told that you and she had a child. If she is not your mate but you have sired a child through her, then you and she have brought shame upon her family..." 

"It's not like that!" he yelled, squeezing the flea in his hand. 

Yahna moaned and curled up in a tight ball. Both men froze. When she remained asleep, both sighed. 

"She is the child?" the flea asked in amazement as he peered down at the sleeping girl's face. He hopped down and landed on the child's cheek. "Inuyasha-sama's first born. She is a beautiful creature, my lord," he stated in awe. "I never thought I would see the day when Inuyasha-sama would have a puppy of his own. I still remember when he was but a puppy himself with that sweet, sweet..." The flea began rubbing his fours hands together greedily. 

"Don't you dare start sucking her blood," the hanyou grunted. 

The flea suddenly fidgeted nervously. "Of course, of course." He cleared his throat and began to look the child over carefully. "Um, Inuyasha-sama?" 

"What?" 

"Perhaps it is not my place to question this, but isn't she a bit large for a newborn infant? She looks to already be several years of age." 

"Take it up with the tree," he sighed as he lifted the girl a little higher in his grasp. 

"Tree?" 

Inuyasha raised a curious eyebrow. "Yeah, tree. What were you told about her?" 

"Shippo told me that you and Kagome had recently became parents... only a few days ago, as he said. He told me that you had taken the child with you to Kagome's country since she had been crying nonstop since Kagome left... which is understandable. Most young children do not like to be separated from their okaa-san at all. Certainly not if they are still nursing." Myoga glanced down at the sleeping child. "From the looks of her, I would not argue that your blood does flow in her veins, but she is obviously more than a few days of age." 

"Little brat," Inuyasha growled. "Alright, first off, she was born from a tree. The holy tree, to be exact." 

"What were you doing to that tree?" Myoga inquired with wide eyes. 

"Nothing!" he barked back. "Don't ask me how or why she exists, I just know she was here when we got back yelling 'otoo-sama' and grabbing me. Haven't really been able to get rid of her since." 

"You tried?" 

"Eh? Of course! You think I want some filthy, sniveling, snot nosed brat hanging off the front of me?! How am I suppose to fight Naraku while carrying some strange, tree born whelp?!" the hanyou snapped quietly. 

"Indeed, it would not be a desirable situation. However..." 

"Wait! If you tasted her blood, you could tell what's in her, right?" Inuyasha broke in. 

Myoga blinked curiously, then sighed. "I could, yes." 

"So you could tell who's blood she carries by tasting it, right." 

"Well, yes, but..." 

"Good, do it. I wanna know exactly what she is." 

"Inuyasha-sama, to do that, I would need some other blood as a bases for comparison. Just knowing yours would do me no good. I would need Kagome's, some of her family's, a few other human's, and your brother's blood to truly get an idea if the two of you are her parents or not." 

Wide golden eyes focused on the flea. "Why?" 

"I have to identify the differences in blood from others that are similar to be sure. With just you and Kagome, all I could tell you was if she carried inu and human blood for certain. She could carry your brother's blood quite easily, and since the two of you share half your blood, it would be hard to distinguish without comparing the two." 

Inuyasha growled in frustration. "Fine. Tell me that much then. Is she really half human, half inu youkai?" 

The flea nodded. He gently pricked the skin on the girl's cheek, rousing her from her nap. After sucking out a few drops, he pulled out and leaped up to Inuyasha's shoulder. Yahna sat up and rubbed her cheek curiously, then examined her hand. When she found nothing there, she stared at her otoo-sama quizzically. 

"Well?" Inuyasha demanded. 

"She does, indeed, carry both human and inu youkai blood. In equal amounts, actually. The child is a true hanyou, similar to you." 

"Similar to me? So the tree just made another me... only a girl?" 

"Mmm, yes and no. It is equal in human and youkai distribution, but she does not have blood just like yours. It tastes a considerable amount different, though there are similarities. If nothing else, she is directly related to you. I haven't tasted Kagome's blood in quite a while, so I'm not sure if it is her blood as well. I just know it is human." 

"Alright," the hanyou sighed. His eyes focused down on the girl in his arms. Her azure eyes were focused intensely on the flea. Inuyasha boosted her up so she was eye level with him. "You are a mystery, you know that, pup?" 

Yahna yawned and stretched her arms above her head. She then nuzzled her nose against his while purr-rumbling. Inuyasha smiled and nuzzled back. Gently, he scratched behind her ears, making her purr louder. 

"Quite an affectionate child," Myoga teased. 

Suddenly reminded of their audience, Inuyasha blushed and pushed the child back. "Oi, stop that," he scolded, his blush getting brighter. 

"Relax, Inuyasha-sama. I would not tell anyone. It is not in my nature to willfully put you or any of your offspring in danger. I am your loyal retainer, after all." 

Azure eyes flickered to the flea on Inuyasha's shoulder. She pointed one clawed finger at him, demanding, "What?" 

"Myoga-jij-" Inuyasha bit off. If Kagome wasn't going to be teaching the child proper manners, he was going to have to. This meant she was going to have to learn to address people properly. "Uh, Myoga-jisan," he corrected. 

"Myoga-jisan?" she questioned. 

He nodded. "Yes, Myoga-jisan." 

"Ooooo..." she trailed off as she held out an open palm to him. 

The flea youkai hopped onto her hand and bowed. "I am honored to meet you, Inuyahna-sama." 

She cocked her head to the side curiously, ears twitching. She gazed at Inuyasha and pointed at herself. "Inuyahna-sama?" 

"Yeah, he's talking to you." 

Yahna turned back to the flea in her hand. "Yahna-chan," she insisted, pointing to her chest. 

"Yahna-chan?" Myoga questioned. Yahna fervently nodded. He glanced at Inuyasha, who only shrugged. "Yahna-chan... Oh, Inuyasha-sama! She has such a humble heart and a respectful mind! She really is nothing like you!" the flea cried for joy. 

"Teme..." Inuyasha growled. He placed his pointer finger behind his thumb and held it in front of Myoga. 

"Wait! Inuyasha-sama!" 

Flick! 

"Gamyou! Gamyou!" 

"Keh, worthless bug."   
  
"Kagome!" Shippo cheered as Kagome came walking into the village. He dashed towards her and wasted no time in jumping into her arms."Kagome, I missed you!" 

Kaede was walking behind him with a soft smile on her face. "Indeed, he did." 

"I missed you too," she giggled to the child. 

The kit scrambled up to her shoulder and began digging through her backpack. "Did you bring me any treats? I was good, I promise. And I looked after Yahna-chan... 'till Inuyasha took her, anyway an-oi! Where is Yahna-chan? Didn't she come back with you." 

"You don't know either?" the girl moaned as she covered her eyes with one hand. 

Shippo's eyes suddenly grew huge. "You lost her!?!" he cried in horror. "You lost my imooto!" 

"No, no, Inuyasha took her," she quickly responded. He let out a relieved sigh. "He was really mad this morning, so he left just after I went to school." 

"Oh... well none of us have seen him all day. Myoga came by, though. He was really excited when I told him about Yahna. He went bounding off to find Inuyasha just after I told him." 

"Mm..." she sighed. "I guess we have to go find them, then." 

"Eh, don't bother," Kaede stated as she stopped in front of the girl. "He'll come back when the child is hungry. Given her tirade a few days ago, I don't think he is too eager to make her uncomfortable." 

Kagome glanced back at Inuyasha's forest. "I suppose, but still..." 

"Inuyasha's a lot of bark, but not so much bite when it comes to innocent people." 

Shippo hopped back up on her shoulder and peered at her face. "So did you bring me any treats?" 

"Of course, Shippo-chan..."   
  
Golden and azure youkai eyes stared at the hut. Their noses had lead them to the hut where, inside, cups of ramen were cooking. The little hanyou's stomach growled and she peered into her otoo-sama's eyes. 

He smirked and knelt down to gently rubbed her belly. "Be patient, Yahna. Just remember what I told you. What do we do when we see Kagome?" 

The girl put her hands in her sleeves, stuck up her nose, and grunted, "Keh!" 

Inuyasha gave her a pat on the head. "Good tree pup." She smiled brightly back at him. "Now, no smiling once we get inside. Just keep your nose in the air and answer all their questions with 'keh', alright?" She nodded. "Good, now show me your angry face, just like I taught you." She scowled, looking just like a miniature version of him. He scowled as well. Together they stiffly walked inside. 

"A wolf hanyou?" Kagome questioned. 

Miroku nodded. "And he did not look to well..." 

All conversation was cut off as the door flap was pushed aside. A pair of very miffed hanyou marched in. Inuyasha had his hands in his sleeves and his nose in the air. Toddling at his heals was Yahna, matching his expression and posture perfectly. 

Kagome held out her arms. "Yahna-chan." 

"Keh!" the child snorted. 

A slight smirk appeared on Inuyasha's lips as he took a seat in the corner. Yahna quickly joined him. 

The school girl blinked in confusion. "Yahna-chan?" 

Everyone turned to stare at her questioningly. Then they looked back at Inuyasha and Yahna. 

"Their relationship sure changed quickly," Miroku observed. Sango, Shippo, and Kirara nodded in agreement. 

The two hanyou kept their eyes closed. Both were still and stoic, completely unreadable... 

And then Yahna's stomach growled. She whimpered slightly and gazed at the half eaten cups of ramen. Her mouth watered. She gulped and licked her little pink lips. Inuyasha gave her a slight nudge in the side and she stiffened back up. She regained her composure just as her stomach gave another growl. Her eyes traveled up to his pleadingly. He shot her a slight glare and she took up her angry posture. 

A smirk appeared on Kagome's lips. "Yahna-chan, are you hungry?" 

"No, she's not," Inuyasha grunted. 

"I was asking Yahna-chan, not you," Kagome grunted back. "Would you like some ramen, Yahna-chan?" 

Yahna glanced at Kagome's face, then Inuyasha, and back to Kagome. Her stomach growled again. 

"Sounds like she's hungry if you ask me," Sango stated matter-of-factly. 

"No one asked you," Inuyasha retorted. 

"Yahna-chan..." Kagome softly called as she placed a ramen cup down on the floor. Yahna licked her lips as she stared at the ramen sitting right in front of Kagome. "It's all yours. All you have to do it come and get it." 

Again, the girl looked back and forth between her parents. Inuyasha gave her a warning glare. Kagome began fanning her hand, hoping to send more of the smell in the child's direction. Yahna's bottom lip trembled and her stomach growled once more. 

Unable to take it anymore, Yahna leaped over to Kagome. She grabbed the cup of ramen as Kagome pulled her up on her lap. Inuyasha growled in annoyance. Shippo handed the pup a pair of chopsticks and she started attempting to eat with them. Though still quite clumsy, she managed to get a few bites in. 

She paused and glanced up with her bright azure eyes. "Mama hate Yahna?" 

Kagome looked shocked. "What?! No! I don't hate you! What would make you think that?" Her eyes flashed over to the pouting hanyou in the corner. "Never mind, I think I just answered my own question." 

"Traitor," he grunted to the child. 

Kagome snorted and stuck her nose up in the air with a "Humph." Inuyasha did the same, only muttering "Keh!" 

Yahna blinked in confusion. She looked at the two for a long time, scanning each one carefully. "Ohhhhhhh..." she suddenly sighed. This earned her a curious look from everyone. 

"What?" Shippo prompted. 

Puppy ears drooped. "Mama hate Otoo-sama. Otoo-sama hate Mama," the girl stated plainly. 

Sango bit her bottom lip. Shippo clamped a hand over his mouth. Miroku started to giggle, then coughed to cover it up. Kaede and Kirara just smiled wisely. Kagome nearly dropped Yahna in her shock. Inuyasha came out of his pout and was now staring at the girl. 

"No no, that's not what I meant! I don't hate Inuyasha!" Kagome blurted out without thinking. A large blush suddenly covered her cheeks. All eyes in the room trained on the embarrassed school girl. Much to her horror, a certain pair of golden orbs were focused on Kagome more intently than any other set. "I... don't... hate him..." she spoke in a small voice. "He... he's just... being a big jerk," she amended. "He's being a big jerk and annoying everyone... not that that's anything new..." 

"Baaaka!" Inuyasha interrupted. "At least I don't go running off, passing my pup off onto others all the time so I can spend all my time at some stupid place doing stupid things I don't like to in the first place!" 

As the two began arguing, Yahna closed her eyes and nodded very sagely. "Otoo-sama hate Mama. Mama hate Otoo-sama." 

Miroku leaned over to Sango though his eyes never left the bickering adolescents. "Oh, so she's _his_ now?" 

"Apparently," the woman answered skeptically. 

"Well, at least their relationship can't get any worse from this point on." 

"Which relationship?" 

"...Both." 

**Japanese words I've used in this chapter**

_Gamyou_ = the sound Myoga makes when he bouces or is flicked. I have no idea what it means, if anything. 

_Teme_ = an impolite way of saying you that is usually compared to calling someone a bastard. 

Finally back in the feudal era. About time, right? Don't worry, things will start to pick up from here. I apologize for the long delay in getting this chapter up. I just finished my finals and move out tomorrow. Hurrah for summer! Hopefully I get some more of my writing done. 

For all who are curious, Dragu Aura is something I made up. If you listen to most fighting games, when they do any sort of attack with 'dragon' in the name they sound like they're saying 'Dragu' and I thought it's be funny. 

Did Inuyasha do it with a tree, you ask Aphiopsyduck? Well, that's what everyone is trying to figure out. Inuyasha certainly doesn't remember doing anything like that. 

Alright, several people expressed their sympathies to Inuyasha at the suggestion of getting fixed. She was only joking. She's never get him fixed. She just wanted to ruffle his hair a little. giggles19701 and Sailor Black 666, however, you two really wanna see Inuyasha get fixed? ... ... ... Okay... maybe in another fic. For the moment, I like him the way he is. 

mkh2 , if you would like to debate spanking with me, please feel free to e-mail me. As I said, I'd rather keep a debate out of my reviews. 

sashlea, if I were Inuyasha, I'd have grabbed Yahna and gone back through the well, then had it sealed. If she were truly willing to fix me, I wouldn't dare leave my child there too. 

Mystic Hanyou, lol. That'd be great if she'd kept the pokeball. 

Tom (who e-mailed me his review, as usual), yes I know pikachu is a $#! electric rat. However, it worked out real nice for the last chapter. You can't tell me that wasn't funny when she attacked him with the pokeball. 

And I'm off... my rocker... completely. Anyway, I'm off to pack. Till next chapter. 


	19. Gong Xiang

"Are you sure we should be bringing her?" Kagome questioned as the group walked out of the little village with Yahna skipping merrily at Inuyasha's heals.

"If you'd like to stay behind and listen to her screech for several days, be our guest," Sango grumbled. "I don't know how much of her crying you heard, but I for one heard enough."

"I agree," Miroku stated. "For the moment, appeasing her is far better for everyone's health."

"Not to mention hearing," Shippo added.

"And sanity," Sango grunted. "Besides, Keade-sama said she couldn't stay. The villagers may adore her and think she is some sort of holy creature, but they need sleep."

Inuyasha, who was leading the group, glanced back in annoyance. "Keh, so we have two brats instead of one. Wont be any different."

_That's what he thinks,_ Kagome mentally sighed as she watched the new child in their group. "Shippo-chan knows how to take care of himself. Yahna can't," Kagome retorted.

The kitsune suddenly leaped onto Kagome's shoulder. "Don't worry, Kagome. I'll keep Yahna-chan out of trouble. She is the only imooto I have, after all, so it's my job to make sure she's safe."

She gave him a gentle pat on the head. "Arigato, Shippo-chan."

He puffed up with pride. "You can count on me, Kagome. No one in this world can take better care of her than me: her big, brave, onii-san." The kit leaped from her shoulder and landed softly on the ground. He trotted up next to Yahna and took a straight posture with his arms folded over his chest. "You stay right where I can see you, Yahna-chan. If I can't see you, you need to come right back. And if you have any problems, you come right to me. Okay?" She nodded enthusiastically. He beamed with pride. "Good. Now be a good girl and hold my hand. These roads are dangerous and I don't want you getting lost or attacked by bandits."

The others chuckled while Inuyasha hid a proud smirk by snorting.

00000000000000000000

"You can't catch me!" Shippo teased as he dashed a few feet away from Yahna. Yahna snorted in response and toddled after him. The kit lowered down to all fours and wagged his bushy tail playfully in the air. Just as she was about to tackle him, he leaped several feet back. She tumbled into the grass with a slight yelp.

Inuyasha peeked open an a eye. From his spot up in the tree, he was easily able to see the two children playing and the adults and feline lounging in the grass under him. After seeing Yahna get back up and dust herself off, he grunted and closed his eyes again.

Below his tree, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara were relaxing and enjoying a light afternoon snack of potato chips and rice balls. The day was nice and clear, perfect for picnic. Kagome was a little sorry she didn't have a small kite. With the gentle breeze, she could have easily flown one. No doubt Yahna and Shippo would've loved it. Neither of them had seen a kite before.

"You'll have to be faster than that, Yahna-chan!"

Then again, maybe not. The two seemed quite content with their game of chase.

Shippo dashed back up the hill and stopped in Miroku's lap. A moment later, he zipped away just as Yahna leaped into his place. Instantly the monk grabbed her and began lightly tickling her belly, making her giggle wildly.

Again, Inuyasha peeked open an eye. He stared curiously down at the monk and girl. W_hat's he doing to her?_ the hanyou wondered. He leaned over a little to get a better view. From where he was, it looked like Miroku was lightly scratching her belly while Yahna laughed uncontrollably and struggled to get free. _Why's it making her laugh, though? And why's she fighting to get away if she likes it?_ Inuyasha scratched his head. This was very odd behavior.

After making the girl cry from laughter, Miroku released her. She darted over to Kagome and ducked behind the school girl. At first, Inuyasha thought she might have been afraid. The huge grin on her face as she peeked around kagome, however, said otherwise. This made the inu hanyou's golden eyes widen with fascination. His gaze shifted back to the monk, who just smiled contentedly. Very odd, Inuyasha concluded.

Eager to join in their game, Kirara jumped to her feet and wagged her twin tails in the air. Without missing a beat, Yahna leaped for the youkai cat. Being much more agile, Kirara avoided her and landed near Shippo.

"Meeew," the cat teased.

"Come get us," Shippo added.

The pup bounded after them. They dashed off, each going in different directions. Shippo went back towards the adults. Kirara went for the nearby tree line. Yahna paused for a moment to stare at each, then decided to chase of the feline. The kit looked disappointed and after they disappeared in the underbrush, he went after them.

Kirara, meanwhile, was having a grand time darting in a few circles, then leaping away. With so much growth, she easily lost Yahna. She snickered to herself when she doubled back and found Yahna sniffing the ground to try and find her. Down on all four with her nose to the ground and bottom in the air, the girl really did look like a little puppy. Taking a seat behind some large roots, Kirara waited patiently for the girl to track her to her current position.

Suddenly, Yahna ventured off the youkai's path. She rounded a tree and was out of sight.

Curious, Kirara flicked her ears forward and tested the air's scent. She didn't smell anything out of the ordinary, but the wind was in the opposite direction as Yahna, so she could have missed something. Inuyasha hadn't detected anything earlier, but they usually overlooked smaller youkai. Normally these youkai were only creatures like rats and lizards; things that even Shippo could take on and probably win. Yahna, however, didn't have any fighting skills. If she were found by something unfriendly, the end result might not be very good.

When Yahna did not come back into sight right away, the cat started to get nervous. She leaped out of her hiding spot and began mewing.

No answer.

She called again, but with no response.

A foreboding knot started to form in the feline's belly. It was the same feeling she always got when it suddenly occurred to her that she or Sango had forgotten something... something important.

She flipped her ears forward.

Nothing.

Without any hesitation, she darted after the pup.

00000000000000000000

There had been something different, something interesting, something new this way. It was a little fainter than Kirara's scent, but it was definitely near by. She had caught a hint of it on the breeze a while ago but passed it off as unimportant since everyone else did. Now that it was close, it couldn't be ignored.

Then Yahna spotted small foot prints in the dirt. She leaned down and started tracing them with her fingers. They looked sort of like hers but bigger and without the little claw impressions on the hand prints. The scent she had been tracking was coming right from it...

All the hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end. Yahna jerked her head around and came face to face with a pair of bright cobalt eyes. They blinked at her.

She blinked back.

It blinked again.

She blinked back again.

After several more exchanged blinks, Yahna stood fully up and took a few steps back. The scent that filled the air told her that indeed she had found the new and interesting thing.

Well, interesting was certainly a word for it. The crouching creature looked human and about Yahna's size and chubby build. Long white hair hung all the way down the other child's back just like Yahna's but had several star shaped, pale pink flowers folded in. A pair of round, fuzzy white ears with black tips protruded form the strange girl's hair slightly more to the side than Yahna's own ears. A small, triangle nose twitched, taking in short, testing breaths while a long snow white tail with ebony stripes waved back and forth behind her. Large claws protruded from the girl's hands and feet but didn't curve inward like Yahna's. Like her hair and fur, the girl's skin was very pale with a little pink on the cheeks. The only contrast to her pale features was the striking cobalt eyes with slit pupils.

Cautiously, they both leaned in close so they were almost nose to nose and sniffed.

Sniff. Sniff. Sniff.

The tailed girl reached out and tugged on Yahna's hair, earning her a purr-growl from the pup. In retaliation, Yahna grabbed the tail and tugged. The new girl giggled and gave her a scritch behind the ear.

Satisfied with their finds, the two backed off a little and just stared at the other. After what seemed like a whole minute to the two tots, the tailed girl pointed to Yahna's chest. "Gong xiang?"

Yahna tilted her head to one side and blinked. "Gong xiang?" it repeated while pointing to her chest.

"What?" Yahna inquired.

"Gong xiang?"

Still a bit confused, Yahna reached into the front of her blue haori and pulled out the hard candy Kagome had given her. She held it out to the strange girl. Hesitantly, the girl reached out and took a piece. She sniffed it, then popped it in her mouth. After a moment, she made a sour face. Yahna giggled. She picked out a second piece and pulled the wrapper off, then popped the candy in her mouth. The new girl blinked, then made another face, only this time she was concentrating on doing something. The wrapper was spat out on the ground and the tailed girl smiled.

Then she reached into her hair and pulled two flowers out. She held them out to Yahna. The pup smiled and handed over the candy. While still holding onto the candy, the new girl walked behind Yahna and gently gathered up the child's hair. She began braiding it tightly while Yahna stood patiently. When she had braided all the hair she could, the cobalt eyed girl tucked the flowers in the silver braid. She smiled rather proudly as Yahna pulled the hair over her shoulder to examine it. Yahna smiled back and gave a slight bow. The girl bowed back.

A snap of a twig made the tailed girl's ears stand on end and twitch. Yahna spun around just as some of the grass behind her parted. The stripped tail puffed up just before the tailed girl dashed back into the underbrush and far from sight. Yahna glanced over her shoulder just as Kirara stepped through the grass.

The fire feline stared at Yahna curiously, focusing on the braid and pink flowers. "Meow?" she inquired as she lightly batted the flowers.

"Gong xiang," Yahna stated proudly. Kirara sighed. She twisted around Yahna and forced her back the way they had first come.

It wasn't long before they ran into Shippo. The second they came into sight, the kitsune noticed the girl's hair. "How'd you do that, Yahna-chan? I haven't seen any flowers around here that look like that... and when did you learn to braid hair?" he asked.

"Gong xiang," she replied in a sing song voice.

Shippo scratched his head and walked with them back to the group. "What's that mean?"

"Gong xiang."

He frowned in confusion. "Alright..."

As they walked back to the group, they saw everyone putting everything away. Instantly, Yahna darted over to where Inuyasha stood and grabbed his hand. "Otoo-sama!" she cried excitedly.

"Yeah, wha- eh?" The older hanyou grabbed her hands and lifted her up. He tapped the braid with his other claw and gave a sniff at the flowers. A tiger? Out here? Can't be. I didn't smell... is that...

"What pretty flowers," Sango commented as she noticed the pup's hair. "Where'd you get those, Yahna-chan?"

"Gong xiang," Yahna replied with a confident smirk.

Everyone gave her a confused glance, then looked at Shippo. He just shrugged. "That's all she told me too," the kit stated.

"Gong xiang?" Miroku inquired. Yahna nodded. The others all stared at him. "It's a Mandarin word. I'm pretty sure it means to share, though it's been a couple of years since I spoke or read it."

"You speak chinese?" Shippo inquired as he leaped onto the monk's shoulder.

"A little, yes. To read the scrolls of Buddha, I had to learn it. As I said, though, it's been a while."

Sango regarded the girl carefully. "But where did she learn it?"

"Probably the same place she got those flowers," Inuyasha snorted as he shot a glare at Shippo. The kit 'eeped' as the golden eyes focused on him with that vicious look in them. "Keh, some great onii-san. Can't even keep track of her for a few minutes."

"Oi, that's not true!" the kitsune child protested. Kirara meowed in agreement.

Inuyasha gathered Yahna up in his arms and began walking. "If it had wanted her blood instead of playing with her hair, she'd be dead right now," he growled, knowing how much it would set the kit off.

"I thought you didn't care what happened to her so long as she's far away from you!" the kit snorted back.

"I don't, which is why I don't beat the shit out of you right now for screwing up..."

"Inuyasha...!" Kagome started.

"And it'd be _your_ fault since your the one who said you didn't smell anybody in the area!" Shippo broke in with a loud snarl. "How was I suppose to know there was anything dangerous here if you said there wasn't!..."

Inuyasha let out a low warning growl, cutting off the boy's tirade. Yahna gripped onto the front of him and buried her face in his chest. He let out a grunt, and gave her a pat on the head. "Come on! We're wasting daylight!" he snapped.

Shippo's tail puffed up and he let out a faint, slight purr-ish growl. "Jerk! ..."

A gentle pat on the head stopped the kit's comments. "He was just worried about her," Miroku explained in a hushed tone. "He's not really mad at you."

"Humph! I don't care what he thinks!" Shippo pouted.

"Of course not," the monk agreed as he trotted to catch up to the others.

0000000000000000000000000

"Yes, Yuki, those would be the right ones," Kikyo said softly as she took the herbs.

The little crane hanyou beamed with pride. Though he could neither smile, frown, or talk, the boy had proved to be very expressive.

He had also proven to be very bright. He knew how to read and write kanji, meaning he came from a good home before now. Perhaps one of his parents had been a noble. Though Kikyo's knowledge of writing was limited, she did recognize a few symbols, including what he wrote as his name: Yuki. The name fit him, really. With all the white features, he would have blended in perfectly with any snow.

"I think this should be enough to treat everyone," the miko stated. He nodded and grabbed the basket of plants and the two headed back towards the camp of soldiers.

Kikyo hadn't planned on taking the boy with her, but had quickly found there was nowhere she could leave him. The villagers had not been happy about they boy's presence and vocalized their opinions. A second village they had passed through refused to let her stay if she kept him with her. Even the soldiers they were with now seemed weary of him. If she had left him, the dead miko did not doubt he would have been killed. So she took him with her.

And in the short time since she had taken him in, she had found she enjoyed his company and help. He learned quickly, carried arrows, found most of his own food, and never got in the way or complained. He had watched her gather souls and not once showed any signs of fear or loathing. She was also certain he had seen her kill a few of the soul gatherers from hell to save human lives. It made her wonder just how much he knew about her.

One little hand clamped onto her hakama as they came back into the camp of wounded men. This was what the boy feared. He did not like soldiers or blood and clung to her when either were near. Having both did nothing to ease his anxiety, especially with the things these men would say. Though Yuki was mute, he was not deaf. He heard every word, every threat, every promise of pain. It made even her sick. Here he was, helping tend to their wounds, and they repaid his kindness with contempt.

"Wonder if cranes taste like chicken," one battered guard whispered to another.

"Maybe we should find out," his friend snickered.

Yuki stepped closer to the Miko. Kikyo shot the two men a glare, ending their chuckles. She took the basket of herbs from her charge and handed them to the wounded men. They looked confused.

"You all seem well enough to care for your own so my charge and I shall be leaving. Come Yuki," Kikyo said sharply as she turned and walked back in the direction they had just come.

As the two disappeared back in the forest, a third soldier came up to the two. "What's her problem?"

"No idea," they replied.

When the camp was out of sight, Yuki slipped his hand up into hers and leaned his head against it. The boy let out a loud sigh.

She gave him a slight smile. "I'm feeling better already too. We'll find a better place to stay next time."

Yuki nodded, rubbing the plush feathers against her cold skin. A little warmth spread across the fake skin, making her sigh as well.

00000000000000000000000000

**Chinese Words Used**

gong4 xiang3 - to share (the numbers are the tones, which are used in the Chinese langueage)

00000000000000000000000

Looks around Hello? Anyone still here? shrugs So yeah, I know it took a long time to get an update. I have three good reasons; one is school. School is important and takes lots of time which leaves little time for other things. After being told I would lose my financial aid if I didn't take enough credits to be a senior next school year, I've been busy trying to do 17 units, 16 of which were academic. This is on top of fighting to get classes and being told I'm not the right major to be taking a general ed. class that everyone has to take. Grrrrrrrrr. The second has been my text program. It has been giving me grief since I updated everything and I haven't done much work on any of my writing. The problem is that every two or three minutes, it will stop to think for a good two or three minutes. I've ripped it out and reinstalled it and it's finally working a little better (not stopping as much), but still gives me problems. Three is They're new stuff is not very mac friendly. I had to update my profile via my roommate's computer. I literally haven't been able to update easily. Sigh It looks like it's getting a little better. I can update my profile at least.

So, we're into chinese words now. I found a translator and have been using that for the words I need. And don't worry, the kitty girl will be back soon enough. Also, Yuki means snow if you didn't figure that out.

So, on to comments. For everyone that was worried about me, I assure you I'm fine (a little stressed but the chocolate is helping). I'm updating when I have time between school, my job (which I may not have anymore due to budget cuts), and my comic. I'll try to get back to posting once a month, but no promises.

KumoriKage, if reading my fic hurts you, then maybe you shouldn't read. As for the sake, I wasn't aware that I had miss it when I edited it. As soon as I find the spot you are talking about, I will correct it. Any time you see misspellings, please mention where they are so I can find and correct them.

Yes, inhyel, I am a girl.

To everyone else, I'm glad people like it as much as I do. I love working on my writing and I've been disappointed not having a chance to. Hopefully I'll have more time this semester to work on all of my writing and completely overhaul my Slayer's fics and merge them into one big story like it's suppose to be. The sad thing is, I'm about half way done with that set and I just haven't gotten around to it. I may also post up some of my original stuff on later.

Well, see you all next update.


End file.
